Somali-born Celtic wonderkid Islam Feruz made history last night after he came on as a second half substitute in Scotland U17s 2-1 defeat to Cyprus at East End Park.
The 14-year-old broke new ground when he became the first player to be selected for Scotland under Fifa’s new school ruling, which allows a British passport holder who has been educated for at least five years in one of the home nations to play for that country.
Feruz, who is regarded as one of the brightest talents of his age group at the Celtic Academy, has already turned out for Celtic’s U19s and has lived in Scotland for seven years. He was invited to join the Hoops four years ago as a 10-year-old after Celtic scout John Simpson saw him playing at Castlemilk sports centre.
Hoops fans were given a glimpse of the teenager in May when he featured in a tribute match in honour of the late Celtic hero Tommy Burns, who died last year. The former Celtic manager and academy director had taken the young player under his wing and was active in the fight for asylum to be granted to Feruz and his family.
Celtic cannot put the player on a professional contract until he is 16 but view him very much as one for the future.
Feruz’s appearance in a dark blue jersey comes as debate heightens over Scotland team selection, with national team boss George Burley said to be on the brink of capping Hearts ace Andrew Driver, who has already turned out for England’s U21s. Like Feruz, Driver doesn’t have a drop of Scottish blood in him but is eligible for selection under the new rules.
The proposals are the brainchild of Scottish Football Association chief excutive Gordon Smith and were ratified by FIFA in Rio earlier this month.
Feruz and Ross Mathie's U17s side won’t have too long to wait to try and put last night’s disappointment behind them, with two further games coming up this week against Georgia on Thursday and then favourites Portugal on Sunday. Scotland need to finish in the top two to qualify for the elite round.
