by Danny Mon Nov 12, 2012 9:08 am
AndItsKoren! wrote: Gegilworld93 wrote:Smart move, the next game is a friendly though, isn't it? Even if he played then Ivory Coast could still get him.
I didn't think this was the case. I thought once they play in full international game they are tied down to that country.
If it's under 21's and shit like that then they don't count?
Has to be a competitive game.
Hooper has not represented England at any level.[95] His paternal grandfather William Hooper was raised in the Scottish Borders,[96] and this led to hopes that Hooper could be eligible to play for Scotland.[95] Scotland head coach Craig Levein sought clarification as to the place of birth his grandfather's birth certificate recorded, as he had been born in a hospital in the English border town Berwick-upon-Tweed.[95] The possibility was closed off when it was confirmed that his grandfather was included in the English Births Index.[96] On 13 March 2011, Hooper was included by Stuart Pearce in his 31-man squad for the England under-21 team to play Denmark and Iceland.[97] However, Hooper was forced to pull out of the squad due to injury.[98] On 3 May 2011, he was named in the 40-man provisional squad for the UEFA Under-21 Championship,[99] but did not make the final selection.[100][101]
In February 2012, BBC Sport reported that the Football Association of Wales were investigating his eligibility, but Hooper was unaware of having any Welsh ancestry.[102] Hooper declared his desire to play for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics,[103] but was not selected.
In November 2012, Hooper was set to join team mate Fraser Forster in the England squad for their upcoming friendly against Sweden in Stockholm, after it was revealed the Football Association had contacted Celtic about the fitness of Hooper. Unfortunately, they were handed a bleak prognosis by the Celtic's medical team, meaning Hooper couldn't make the squad through injury.[104]
