Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington has fully supported the Irish Football Association’s decision to raise the matter of player eligibility with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The governing body have taken this stance after promising Everton defender Shane Duffy hose to play for the Republic of Ireland.

Duffy follows a path taken by Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson, who also came through the Northern Ireland age groups before deciding to switch allegiance. Worthington wants the trend to stop, especially as he only has a small pool of players to call on. He said: ‘The association is right and proper in what it is doing because no one else is looking after us. We have to look after ourselves. ‘We produced in Darron Gibson and Shane Duffy, two very good players, who will be around the top end of football for years to come. ‘We put in time and effort as an association as have the coaches who worked with them over the years. ‘There is a loophole there that has been exploited. That situation needs to be dealt with firmly.’

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