Harley Gepp: from the PNG Highlands to Australian football

It is not new that football has spreaded worldwide, being played in almost every single country in the world. This fact culminates in lots of interesting moves and transfers, being one of the circumstances that make football players have dual citizenship – players eligible to represent more than one country internationally. According to FIFA rules, a person who does not have roots in the country that is currently living needs to be living there for at least five years in a row to represent its national team. Despite the FIFA rules, each country has its own processes for obtaining citizenship, what may take even more than five years to allow a player from another country to play for his new national team.

Uncountable examples can be mentioned, being one of the most famous worldwide the Brazilian/Spanish striker Diego Costa who decided to represent Spain internationally after playing one friendly match for his homenation Brazil. Costa spent more than five years playing in Spain and, as mentioned according to FIFA rules, despite of not having any Spanish roots the player was eligible to play for Spain, what he did in the past two FIFA World Cups.

Costa’s case is not one of a kind, many others happened in the modern football world, but it is not certainly the case of Harley Gepp, a 26-year-old forward currently playing in Australian NPL side White City FC. Gepp explains himself his citizenship situation: “I was born in Papua New Guinea. My mother is Papuan and my father is Australian. I was born in Goroka, but I grew up in Wabag, Enga Province – my family is Engan“.

Gepp is already in the process to obtain his Papua New Guinean citizenship and declares himself available to be called up for the Kapuls: “I have not been contacted yet by PNGFA. I am available for the national team, however I am in the process of organising my passport for PNG at the moment“, explains Gepp.

The player was already part of the 2011 Australian School Boys squad and achieved some success in his NPL career so far: “I was part o Cumberland United’s promotion to Division 1 NPL South Australia in 2016. I scored 13 goals that season including the winner in the grand final“, mentions Gepp.

The player presents himself to the intrigued Papua New Guinean football fans as “a goal scoring winger. I can play anywhere along the front or wings. I am comfortable with both feet which allows me to play on both sides. I like to isolate my full back and go one on one“, says the player.

Gepp is currently working on his PNG passport and expects to get everything done before OFC Nations Cup beginning in June – a competition that he expects to have a chance to play. He continues giving his best in Australia – the NPL season is on the verge to start – to impress the PNGFA to give him the opportunity to represent the country of his mother.