Speaking to Bild TV, the sporting director of the German Football Federation, Rudi Völler, has announced a desire to naturalise French forward Mathys Tel (18).
Tel, who moved from Stade Rennais to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, has begun the season in blistering form for the Bavarian aide. Despite being behind Harry Kane in the pecking order, the Frenchman has already scored six goals in just 318 minutes on the pitch.
The former Rennes forward has thus far only represented France at U19 level, however, he has been called up to the U21 squad for the first time by Thierry Henry. However, Völler has designs on Tel featuring for the German national team. “We’ll certainly try to naturalise him. However, at the end of the day, it’s the player that decides. You can’t underestimate that. His roots are very French,” said the sporting director of the German Football Federation.
According to L’Équipe, the German Federation are not in direct contact with Tel’s entourage. Certain conditions must be met in order for a person to be naturalised in Germany, including being able to provide for themselves, as well as having a proficient level of German. A person must also have lived in the country for eight years, although there is an acceptance that this process could be accelerated.
However, FIFA rules certainly represent a significant barrier. Their rules stipulate that a player that moves to a new country between the age of 10 and 18, as is the case with Tel, must have lived there for at least five years. Tel would therefore not be able to represent Germany until 2027. Tel’s chances of representing Die Mannschaft are therefore minute.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
