KP wades into nationality debate with Gunners and England star.
England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has publicly challenged Jack Wilshere to define a ‘foreigner’ after the Arsenal player’s comments about representing England.
The batsman confronted Wilshere on social networking site twitter. KP’s tweet followed remarks from Wilshere concerning Belgian-born Manchester United starlet Adnan Januzaj, who is being targeted for an England call-up by the FA.
Wilshere, 21, told reporters on Friday: “For me, if you are English, you are English and you play for England. The only people who should play for England are English people.
“If you live in England for five years, it doesn’t make you English. You shouldn’t play.
“It doesn’t mean you can play for a country. If I went to Spain and lived there for five years, I am not going to play for Spain.
“We have to remember what we are.”
The Three Lions playmaker has since blamed the media for twisting his words but Pietersen, who was born and raised in South Africa, took objection to Wilshere’s comments and the duo exchanged words:
.@JackWilshere -interested to know how you define foreigner…? Would that include me, Strauss, Trott, Prior, Justin Rose, Froome, Mo Farah?
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) October 9, 2013
@KP24 With all due respect Mr Pietersen the question was about Football! Cricket, cycling, Athletics is not my field!
— Jack Wilshere (@JackWilshere) October 9, 2013
.@JackWilshere same difference.. It’s about representing your country! IN ANY SPORT!
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) October 9, 2013
Pietersen referenced his former England captain Andrew Strauss, born in Johannesburg but raised in Oxfordshire, and Mo Farah, who arrived in the UK from Somalia aged 8 but has an English father.
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