Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann announced his preliminary 27-man squad for the 2024 European Championship last week.

Notable among the absentees was Borussia Dortmund's left winger Karim Adeyemi who has been one of the standout performers for the Signal Iduna outfit this season.

The 22-year-old has notched 2 goals in 11 UEFA Champions League appearances, contributing to Dortmund's journey to the grand finale.

Adeyemi was born in Germany to a Nigerian father and a Romanian mother.

His last appearance for Die Mannschaft was back in 2022 against Hungary in
a World Cup qualifier.

From a Nigerian perspective, Adeyemi's omission from the German team for the Euros came as good news as many believed he is still eligible to play for Nigeria.

Contrary to initial reports, the Dortmund star cannot switch allegiance to Nigeria due to FIFA regulations.

According to FIFA's eligibility criteria, players can switch national teams if certain conditions are met as per Own Goal Nigeria.

1. The player held the nationality of their new association at the time of their first official appearance for their first national team and the player played in no more than three competitive senior games before the age of 21.

2. The player has not played in the final stage of an official tournament such as the FIFA World Cup, European Championship, Copa America, etc.

3. A player can change to a new national team even if they did not hold that nationality at the time of their first appearance for their old national team, as long as they last played for the old national team before the age of 21.

4. A competitive cap will not keep a player tied to a national team in the event that they suddenly become stateless that is, lose their nationality against their will.

Adeyemi has featured in four matches for Germany, comprising three World Cup qualifiers and one UEFA Nations League match.

These appearances disqualify him from considering any potential move to join the Super Eagles.

Speaking on why he chose to represent Germany during a visit to his football foundation at the Olubadan Stadium in Ibadan, Adeyemi stated that Germany had approached him first.

WDN