Brazilians playing for Togo, Angolans and Congolese playing for Rwanda and Frenchmen playing for Mauritania.

　　African governments have given a new dimension to the term "fast track" as they hand out passports to footballers with no family connections to their respective countries.

　　In doing so, they have presented FIFA with a new problem and set a worrying precedent for international football.

　　Rwanda striker Joao Elias became one of the national team's key players less than a year after his first visit to the country.

　　Elias, who left his native Angola in 1990, was open about how he came to be playing for the tiny nation on their debut at the finals of the African Nations Cup, which ends this week.

　　He said he had been approached by Rwanda international Desire Mbonabucya in Belgium, where both play their club football, and invited to play.

　　"The directors were not happy with the team and told Desire to look for players in Belgium to reinforce the side," said Elias, who scored Rwanda's goal in their 2-1 defeat by Tunisia in the group stages of the finals.

　　"It wasn't difficult. I'm 30 now and it was a good opportunity to play international football and play in the African Nations Cup."

　　Rwanda's squad of 22 also included six players born in neighboring Burundi, three from the Democratic Republic of Congo and a goalkeeper from Cameroon.

　　The qualifying competition was peppered with similar cases.

　　In october, French coach Noel Tosi invited several of his old club players from second division Cretiel to turn out for his new employer, Mauritania.

　　The issue is separate to the recent FIFA rule change which allowed Frederic Kanoute to turn out for his parents' country Mali in the competition.

　　Kanoute played for the French under-21 team, something which under the old regime would have committed him to the Europeans for life. Under new rules, players with dual nationality are free to switch loyalties until they have played a full international.

　　Naturalization is a different issue which FIFA admits has yet to be dealt with and has caused controversy and suspicion in the past.

　　Brazilians remember to this day how eccentric Peru goalkeeper Ramon Quiroga conceded six goals against Argentina at the 1978 World Cup, allowing the Argentines to reach the final at Brazil's expense on goal difference.

　　Quiroga was born in Argentina and switched nationality after playing in Peruvian domestic football.

　　"This issue is as yet not regulated and FIFA is currently monitoring it and the consequences closely," soccer's governing body said in a statement.

　　But new measures still appear to be a long way off.

　　"(Regarding) potential regulations and discussions to achieve a consensus here in terms of what criteria ... could apply, we currently do not have any information," FIFA added.

　　In the meantime, players can represent any country which will give them a passport.

　　Understandably, Brazilian players are already a popular target.

　　Togo used five Brazilian-born players in several of their qualifying matches, drawing official protests from their opponents.

　　But the Confederation of African Football was unable to take any action because the players had been given legitimate passports by the Togolese government.

　　At the finals themselves, the hosts' attack was led by Brazilian-born Francileudo dos Santos, for whom two years with local club Etoile Sahel and the birth of a child were enough to win a passport.

　　"I knew I would never have a chance to play for Brazil so I had no hesitation in playing for a country that I love and a country where my son was born," said dos Santos, who joined his compatriot Clayton in the squad.

　　But his loyalty would not stretch to playing against Brazil at the World Cup.

　　"For me, a match against the Brazilian team in the World Cup would be very tough," he said. "I think I'd ask the coach not to play. Seriously."

　　Brazil exports hundreds of players a year, many of whom become household names in their new countries without even causing a ripple back home.

　　If the trend is not reversed, teams full of Brazilian-born players could be lining up against each other at future Nations Cup tournaments.