PARIS: Stoke City striker Saido Berahino has been cleared to play for Burundi after FIFA approved his request to switch international allegiance, the country's football federation said on Monday.
The 25-year-old Berahino played for England from under-16 to under-21 level and was called up to the senior squad for a pair of Euro 2016 qualifiers without making an appearance.
He had previously turned down approaches from Burundi, the country of his birth, which he fled at the age of 10 with his mother and siblings to escape from the civil war.
Berahino and his family were granted political asylum in Britain in the wake of the ethnic conflict in their homeland.
He could make his debut for Burundi in next month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Gabon.