Scotland, Wales & NI Say No To 2012

[NickHSpurs]

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have reacted with fury to an announcement that an agreement had been reached for all home nations players to represent Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics.


The British Olympic Association (BOA) announced it had struck an "historic agreement" for Scottish, Welsh, Northern Ireland

and English players to be picked for London 2012.


The announcement by the BOA was made with the knowledge of the English Football Association

but came as a shock to the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FAs.


It means young players such as Gareth Bale

and Aaron Ramsey

of Wales, Northern Ireland's Jonny Evans

and Scotland's Barry Bannan

could play in a Great Britain shirt next year. It also affects selection for the women's team.


But that has not gone down well with the Scots, Welsh and Irish, who issued a strongly-worded statement signed by SFA chief executive Stewart Regan,

FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford and IFA chief executive Patrick Nelson.
Ignored

It read: "The Football Associations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reiterate our collective opposition to Team GB participation at the 2012 Olympic Games

in London, contrary to the media release issued by the British Olympic Association today.


"We have been consistently clear in explaining the reason for our stance, principally to protect the identity of each national association. With that in mind, we cannot support nor formally endorse the approach that has been proposed by the Football Association.


"We have stressed this in communications to them and are disappointed that this has been ignored in the media release. No discussions took place with any of us, far less historic agreement been reached, prior to the statement from the BOA being released.


"The Associations are committed to supporting the individual Home Nations playing all representative football under their respective flags as independent members of Fifa and Uefa. This position has been endorsed by supporters of all Home Nations, who have been consulted throughout this process."


The three home associations have long opposed an all-British team at the London Games, fearing it could affect their separate identities in world football, and saying the team should be made up of English players only.
Some 1.7million Olympic football tickets will go on sale on Friday, with matches all around the country including Glasgow and Cardiff.
Committed

Meanwhile, in a further statement FA general secretary Alex Horne said: "We have been very clear since the Olympic games were awarded to London that the FA is committed to Team GB football teams.
"We have been flexible in working with the BOA and other home nations regarding the make-up and selection for these teams being a collective of all home nations, or all English sides.


"It is clear that under the Olympic Charter

there has to be a non-discriminatory selection process for all players. These are not the FA rules.


"We are sensitive to the concerns of the other home associations in relation to each of our individual identities, and we have been assured by FIFA there is no threat to each association.


"However as an organisation the FA has been mandated by the BOA to organise a men's and women's team for the 2012 Olympic football tournament across the UK.


"All three associations have notified us in writing that they acknowledge that legally we are entitled to support the BOA in the selection process."


http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12010_6999761,00.html

Miserable fuckers, what's wrong with having a GB team? I bet the players want to play, didn't Bale and Hudd already come out and say they'd be up for it?

 

[jurgenthegreat]

was just reading that article and trying to think of the starting 11

 

[Marty]

Haven't FIFA given assurances that a combined GB team in no way harms the individual nations positions in the football world?

I think they're being ridiculously petty about this.

 

[Legacy]

They're being incredibly selfish, in my opinion.

It's very possible that none of those three countries will qualify for the next three World Cups, which means the Olympics might be the only chance players like Bale and Ramsey have of playing on a worldwide stage.

And seriously, nobody cares about the Welsh and Irish leagues anyway. And Celtic and Rangers are the only reason the Scottish league is known around Europe.

 

[dav3j]

Typical anti-English bullshit from the Home Nations as per. If anything I think a Team GB would raise the profile of their teams.

 

[knilly]

I dont think its an anti English thing. Although there may have been assurances about the countries remaining individual, there is definitely a worry in Wales that those assurances may be taken back at a later date.

Im all for it, should be a British team in every Olympics. Same as every other sport.

 

[scoobydoo]

I'm all in favour of a GB team at the Olympics too. I love the thought of the best of British lining up together and taking on the world.

You do have to wonder though, if by some miracle the GB team did well, or even won the event, would there then be slightly more pressure going forward on combining forces in the World Cup and Euros.

I think the main concern for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is that hardly any of their players would be picked anyway, so will be a major embarassment for them.

I mean who would you have in the starting line up from those countries, Bale and possibly Ramsey (although probably not)

 

[montylynch]

If they don't want to put any of their players out, then fuck 'em. England have qualified for the Olympics outright for the last two (but chose not to put teams out) and the next one (Courtesy of qualifying for the Under 21 finals). The other home nations have done jack in that tournament so we're actually doing them a favour.

Short of banning their players from playing, i'm not sure what else they could do.

 

[RickyVilla]

It's probably because they know that only Bale and Ramsey and at a stretch McGregor would get in the team! ;-)

 

[ShayLaB]

I would imagine the arrogance of the FA in assuming that they can negotiate for the other associations in absentia, combined with legitimate concerns about the precedent it would set, will mean that it will never happen.

Aside from the fact that it might allow a couple of Welsh player take part, what would be the benefit for the other associations? It just raises doubts without offering anything positive in return.

 

[ShayLaB]

Typical anti-English bullshit from the Home Nations as per. If anything I think a Team GB would raise the profile of their teams.

How would it raise their profile?

By saying it is a combined team in the programme notes and having a token player from the other nations in the squad?

In reality how many Northern Ireland players do you see making it into the squad, never mind the starting eleven?

 

[dav3j]

How would it raise their profile?

By saying it is a combined team in the programme notes and having a token player from the other nations in the squad?

In reality how many Northern Ireland players do you see making it into the squad, never mind the starting eleven?

National squads that otherwise do not get to compete in international tournaments will get a chance here, what's not to understand about that? With exposure on a greater stage, they will be able to eke out more money for rights to televise their games and potentially raise interest in the national squad in their own nations.

I don't expect tokenism at all. There has not even been any suggestion of what the selection strategy will be, so you're being rash to judge so quickly. I'd fully expect Bale and Ramsey in the side, McGregor and Charlie Adam could probably make the squad, not sure on the age criteria, but Kyle Lafferty is currently 23 so could be in with a shot at making the squad too.

Most importantly, the players want to play, FIFA has given numerous assurances, so what right does the Welsh FA have to say to the likes of Bale and Ramsey that they're not allowed a chance to represent their country and compete in an international tournament?

Edit: You can add Chris Gunter to that list too.

 

[ILS]

The one thing that pisses me off with the whole thing is Scotland and Wales coming up with this bullshit excuse that Fifa will end up merging all the countries together... yet they have allowed countries like San Marino, Litchenstein and play international football.

End of the day you can pick 18 players with 3 over age, so the players who play at Euros will not plat at the Olympics, so to make it fair you pick 3 players from each country in the squad. Scotland McGregor (Over age), Hanley, either Wilson or Forrest, Northern Ireland, Johnny Evans (over age), Johnny Gorman and Ed Boyce, Wales Ramesy, Bale and Neil Taylor then England can have Fielding, Beckham (Over age) as he will have to be apart of it!! Walker, Smalling, Jones, Henderson, Rodwell Sturridge, Carroll


McGregor

Walker Smalling Evans Taylor

Beckham Ramsey Rodwell Bale

Carroll Sturridge

Everone represented and keeps people happy

 

[PT]

The issue with FIFA goes way beyond the boundaries of potential merging of Nations in the future despte guarantees by the present FIFA committee that it won't happen.

At the moment all four home nations each have an individual vote on the Select committee on all things FIFA. Blatter has been trying for years to put pressure on to get that down to one vote, to suppress potential issues on getting his mandate accepted.

Secondly don't forget that the team is made up of U-21s with (I think) up to three over-age players, which is why Beckham is still making noises about his interest in being selected for the squad.

Now the Enlgand U-21s recently bombed out of the European Championships and the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish are at a lower lever of class than England, so I think it is better all round to walk away from our own Olympics on that baiss alone.

 

[RickyVilla]

I thought it was under 23's?

 

[PT]

I thought it was under 23's?

You know, you say that and I do believe that you are right.

 

[RickyVilla]

You know, you say that and I do believe that you are right.

First time for everything!!! ;-)

 

[Azrael]

I see no reason for the sour grapes at all. Just can't fathom it. Especially since for players like Bale, this is probabluy the biggest stage they can have in international football.

 

[Dibby]

I wouldn't want to play with half the England side either. :lol:

 

[LSUY]

Just watched the Daily Politics clip about this on the BBC website. I love how the female presenter takes the piss out of the SNP bloke.

"When did you last qualify for a World Cup?"

"Perhaps there are some Scottish players who might want to play on the international stage."