Tuesday, March 10 12:18 pm
Press Assoc. via Yahoo
A Team GB soccer side will take part in the London 2012 Olympics even if it consists entirely of English players, sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has insisted.
The issue has become a political and sporting battleground, with the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland football associations opposing a joint squad in case it affects the future of their independent national sides.
Mr Sutcliffe told MPs he wanted a team which had the "widest representation" from the UK, but it could be that only the Football Association in England would allow its players to compete.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he wants to see both male and female teams playing in the 2012 games.
Mr Sutcliffe said football's international ruling body Fifa had given written assurances that a UK side in 2012 would not affect the national teams.
But he acknowledged "there has always been and will continue to be a threat to that individuality because of the way Fifa is evolving", irrespective of the 2012 issue.
Speaking in a debate at Parliament's Westminster Hall he said: "What a farce it would be to have those qualification games in Wales and Scotland without the possibility of British participation."
Asked if a purely English team would take the field if the associations in the other home nations boycotted the event, Mr Sutcliffe said: "That is correct and that is the sad fact of what is going to happen unless we can try and resolve this issue."
The debate was opened by the SNP's Pete Wishart (Perth and N Perthshire), who said participation in the "meaningless" Olympic soccer competition could jeopardise the future of the Scotland national side.
He said: "We should do absolutely nothing that would ever threaten our independent football status. We should never give a hint of a precedent that might be able to be used against us in the future, we should give no reason, no excuse to those who would question our independent footballing status, no succour to those who would seek to end the very generous arrangements we have in the UK."
Press Assoc. via Yahoo
A Team GB soccer side will take part in the London 2012 Olympics even if it consists entirely of English players, sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has insisted.
The issue has become a political and sporting battleground, with the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland football associations opposing a joint squad in case it affects the future of their independent national sides.
Mr Sutcliffe told MPs he wanted a team which had the "widest representation" from the UK, but it could be that only the Football Association in England would allow its players to compete.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he wants to see both male and female teams playing in the 2012 games.
Mr Sutcliffe said football's international ruling body Fifa had given written assurances that a UK side in 2012 would not affect the national teams.
But he acknowledged "there has always been and will continue to be a threat to that individuality because of the way Fifa is evolving", irrespective of the 2012 issue.
Speaking in a debate at Parliament's Westminster Hall he said: "What a farce it would be to have those qualification games in Wales and Scotland without the possibility of British participation."
Asked if a purely English team would take the field if the associations in the other home nations boycotted the event, Mr Sutcliffe said: "That is correct and that is the sad fact of what is going to happen unless we can try and resolve this issue."
The debate was opened by the SNP's Pete Wishart (Perth and N Perthshire), who said participation in the "meaningless" Olympic soccer competition could jeopardise the future of the Scotland national side.
He said: "We should do absolutely nothing that would ever threaten our independent football status. We should never give a hint of a precedent that might be able to be used against us in the future, we should give no reason, no excuse to those who would question our independent footballing status, no succour to those who would seek to end the very generous arrangements we have in the UK."
- seriously though, i think for the 18 to 23 yr old bracket of up and coming players this is an ideal tournement to improve and gain decent international experience. - most of the lads under 23 are say only on the fringes for the national team (unless it's an owen or rooney coming through) so if it started 2moro, even for the likes of walcott and young etc it would be a good tournement for them to help with their development
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