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GB not united for football team to play in Olympics
Jonathan Prynn, Consumer Business Editor29 May 2009
A British football team looks set to play at the London Olympics for the first time in 40 years.
However, it is likely to be made up of only English players after the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations said they would not participate. Instead they have agreed to drop their opposition to England going it alone, clearing one of the last major hurdles to a British team — at least in name — appearing at the 2012 Games.
The last time Britain was represented in the Olympic football tournament was at the 1972 Games in Munich. The long-running wrangles over fielding a British squad for the London Olympics has been a hot political issue as the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations fear it could threaten their independence.
A joint letter from the four associations was sent to Fifa this morning saying Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would have no involvement in the Olympic tournament but would not prevent an England team from doing so. The deal will have to be ratified by Fifa before it is officially confirmed.
Scottish FA spokesman Rob Shorthouse said: “The fundamental point to make is the Scottish FA will not be changing its stance on Team GB.
“We're absolutely against the four nations playing in a unified team, so Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland's stance hasn't changed.”
The SFA was furious last week with FA chairman Lord Triesman, accusing him of breaking an agreement for the issue to remain confidential until a deal was signed. The SFA feels there has been a need to change their stance to help sort out the issue of a British football team for 2012 once and for all.
It is understood that just saying “no” all the time could do more harm than good to the individual football associations.
Mr Shorthouse said: “It's Team GB only in name because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will not be involved.”
Reader views (8)
it has more to do with entrenched power than any desire to maintain seperate identities. This is pure piffle from the SFA.
- Duncan, Kent, 01/06/2009 15:13
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Yep, a British Team including only English Players seems fair to me on thw whole. The fact that the others like Scotland have boycotted it proves after all these years theyre still bitter and twisted and have a minority complex and we can prove that again to the whole world. Bit like tennis really , no english people like Andy Murray as he doesnt see himself as British why should we?
- Dc, Ealing, London, 01/06/2009 14:11
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Ray Jarvis:
The (very approximate) populations of the UK nations are:
- England: 51 million*.
- Scotland: 5 million.
- Wales: 3 million.
- Northern Ireland: sub 2 million.
Why on earth should each country put an equal number of players into the team? Shouldn't players be picked on the basis of, oh I don't know, merit?
The reason we'll never have a 'Team GB' is because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland won't want to see their national teams disappear, with only the very occasional inclusion of a fellow countryman to keep them happy.
Even as an Englishman myself, I can totally understand their point of view.
*That includes the 'Republic of Cornwall' by the way...
- John, London, 01/06/2009 13:26
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Remind me again why we have a Union?
- Roy, England, 01/06/2009 09:35
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No reason why they can not come together for the games to play some football, would be a super team; shame politics can not be left out of sports.
- John Joe, Willesden, London UK, 01/06/2009 00:05
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London 2012 will be blown out by the muslims who we know as the brits born here but think of pakistan as home. The leagacy will be hate and anger and a divied nation
- Ge, Cornwall, 30/05/2009 21:22
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An agreement could be made in the future when the weasel S. Blatter is gone. I would not trust him to walk my dog, let alone to be open and honest in any of his every day dealings in football. The next person hopefully will make sure a united team takes nothing away from the home nations independance and at the smae time preserve football history.
anyway, should a united team be formed, I would rule that the 11 players on the field should be 3 from each country and 2 from the remaining one, which provides the head coach (to make up their 3rd member). That puts the cat amongst the pidgeons.
Ray, expat in USA.
- Ray Jarvis, Marlborough USA, 29/05/2009 21:52
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Nice to see that politics are being kept at a minimum in the Olympics like they're supposed to be - not!
- Rogan, Irving, 29/05/2009 16:46
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