FIF rules say that a country can call a player up 14 days before a major tournament, and the African Nations Cup starts on 24th January. By my calculations, that means we can count ourselves lucky to have Kanu available today.

To be frank, I can see their point. Arsene Wenger has said that Arsenal want Kanu to leave as late as possible. Somewhat disingenuously, he says that he thinks it'd be better for Nigeria too, "Why sit in a training camp and play friendlies that are difficult to find when this is better preparation for the tournament?". That's beneath you, M.Wenger. You know very well the value of friendlies and training camps when it comes to team-building. Isn't the difficulty that national team managers have in building a team rather than a collection of individuals one of the reasons you've often hinted (and many have agreed) that national team management wouldn't suit you?

Wenger also says, "the situation will be sorted out next week after a meeting with the national coaches". If that's what he's counting on, and Kanu isn't leaving beforehand, then Arsenal would be putting themselves in a state of war with the Nigerian FA, with FIFA on their side.

Le Boss wants Kanu to stay as long as possible because it's best for Arsenal, and all the more so with Bergkamp and Wiltord injured. I want him to stay too, and for the same reason.

But I have the luxury of being able to say so. I do hope Wenger's flannel does the trick and Kanu's available for the Villa game next Sunday. But really, no-one's fooled are they?

At the end of the day, our only hope is probably Kanu himself. He's non at uninfluential player, and if he asks Chukwu nicely, maybe he'll be allowed to stay.

As always, one has to add a small caveat, in that it's hard to believe 100% in anything one hears from the Nigerian FA. They tend to have several spokesman saying completely opposite things. But this is probably something they'll agree on, and all the more so given Kanu's recent excellent form at Arsenal.

Hats off to FIFA for the new ruling that allows players with dual nationality to switch countries. It used to be that having played in junior national teams for one country, you were committed to them. This has hurt African countries in particular, because as well as the likes of Vieira, Desailly, Eusebio, Makelele, there are players who played for European countries as a youngster but then never made it at that level and were unable to go play for an African country.

An excellent example is one F Kanoute, who has been declared eligible to play for Mali. He played for France as a junior, but obviously is not in the class of the likes of Henry and Trezeguet so his international career was effectively over, and Mali hard done-by, until this ruling.

Incidentally, was this not how things have always been in the UK? I thought you could already play as a schoolboy for one UK country and then switch at senior level....?

Rupe adds...
Thanks to everyone who wrote on this last point, and especially to Paul Kay whose answer seems the most complete...

Basically, you have always been able to play at schoolboy level for one country and then switch to another country later on, and not just in the UK. This is because schoolboy countries are not determined by the same rules as your "real" country, but only by where you go to school. The most famous example is Ryan Giggs who played schoolboy football for England. Contrary to legend, however, Giggs had no choice at any stage: he played schoolboy football for England because he was at school in England, he went on to play international football for Wales because he, both his parents, and all their parents, are Welsh.

You have not previously been able to play for the England youth/U17-19-21 teams and then switch to another country. So it seems to me that the change could be good news for UK teams too.