- Joined
- Apr 3, 2012
- Messages
- 15,569
- Likes
- 1,463
- Favorite Player
- Schelotto

I would understand if Shaqiri feels more Swiss than Albanian
However, given further research, it seems he is proud of his racial roots in Kosovo and Albania, but that doesn't necessarily imply ethnic association
If he speaks Albanian or is Islamic, then it would be obvious, but I don't see any record of him maintaining ETHNO-CULTURAL roots
But if he is in fact playing for Switzerland as a career choice, Pimpin should remember that every individual has a right to autonomy; therefore Shaqiri has the right to treat the concept of nationality with an arbitrary amount of respect
Switzerland has 6 Albanian players, all born outside of Switzerland. All these of players' parents are Albanian, that's the language they speak at home, they come to visit their homeland, they still have family over in Kosovo. Behrami went to Switzerland at age 6, left at 16, and has been playing in Italy ever since. I'm sure he's a hardcore Swiss. That's the issue with Januzaj as well now. His father pretty much admitted the 2 choices are Albania for heritage, or Belgium for career. So even if he plays for Belgium it will be to further his career, and all Belgium is going to have in their hands is a mercenary.
We should cut the crap about footballers loving their "adopted" homes. 99% of footballers are mercenaries and they'll go wherever helps their career out more. To them a NT is nothing more than a stepping stone. Although in cases like Ozil, his family has 2-3 generations in Germany, and even though he's not ethnically German, that's where he grew up, his parents grew up, he has a way stronger bond than Behrami to Switzerland. When all your direct family still lives some place else, and you visit them the whole time, you still speak the language of that place, the signs of a mercenary become apparent.
As you said, a lot of people don't really understand the difference between ethnicity and nationality, or it seems even "racist" to have a concept like ethnicity. While in other places ethnicity is nationality because it transcends borders, it's about culture, language, ancestry, etc...
And Belgium and Switzerland are the only 2 countries in Europe without their own unique ethnicity, maybe they more inclined to let immigrants in their NT than others.