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ENGLAND to represent GB at the Olympics...



Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
62,424
Location Location
(no shit)

BBC SPORT | Olympics | Progress on 2012 GB football team

England's football team could represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, following agreement from the other home nations not to block the idea.

A joint letter has been sent to Fifa, which has yet to ratify the proposal, saying that Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales would have no involvement.

But it goes on to say that it would not prevent England from fielding a team.

Scottish FA spokesman Rob Shorthouse said: "I think the English are going to go it alone."

The development should see the end of a dispute that has raged since 2005, when London won the right to host the Games.

Football's world governing body had set a deadline of the end of the month for the four home nations to come to an agreement over Olympic representation.

And last-ditch talks between the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FAs yesterday led to a breakthrough in the long-running saga.

A document has been prepared by the SFA and sent to the other bodies to allow England to represent Great Britain on a one-off basis.

But their agreement has already led to one member of Scotland's Parliament calling for the resignation of the Scottish governing body's chief executive, Gordon Smith.

The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish had feared their independence in world football would be under threat if they united with England to play a British team at the Olympics.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter had given mixed messages, even suggesting that the dispute itself was damaging their position.

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.

That led to fears the SFA board meeting on Tuesday would reject any move to allow an Olympic team.

However, an agreement was reached amid fears that a continuing row would damage the home nations' international reputation.

"Fifa had asked us to come to some sort of common decision amongst the four home nations by the end of this week - so that, when the Fifa congress meets next week, this deal was all done and dusted," said Shorthouse, who said talk of an agreement was still premature.

"We have not been able to come to a common agreement because England want to take part and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland don't.

"Our stance has not changed. We will not be taking part in Team GB.

"England do want to go ahead. They are under unique pressure with the Olympics being in their home country.

"The debate is around whether we make a real issue about England going alone.

"So, over the past week or so, while we have been having discussion with the home nations, we have also been speaking to people around the world and just trying to take the temperature of people and what they think of England fielding a team by themselves.

"The word that is coming back is that we should let them do that.

"We have to preserve our independent status as a member of Fifa. We are sticking to our guns.

"I think the English are going to go it alone. We'll continue our discussions with the home nations and also speak to people at the Fifa congress next week."



Personally I couldn't really give a STUFF about being Olympic Champions at Soccerball. Lets not bother eh.
 




Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
So you won't bother to watch our games during the Olympics then? *rubs chin*
 


Wardy

NSC's Benefits Guru
Oct 9, 2003
11,219
In front of the PC
Though not the same as the world cup, it would be good to win it. Though would it not interupt the European Cup?
 


Scotty Mac

New member
Jul 13, 2003
24,405
cant wait for the utter BINFEST that club v country will be over this - especially if we also qualify for the euros
 


sam86

Moderator
Feb 18, 2009
9,947
Would assume it would be an England B team, or possibly C team. The guys that don't normally get a place in the main team.
 




Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
62,424
Location Location
So you won't bother to watch our games during the Olympics then? *rubs chin*

I probably would.
But it would be with a kind of "JPT couldn't-really-give-a-stuff" knid of indifference. I couldn't even tell you who the current Olympic champions are.
Brazil, presumably ?
 








pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
31,038
West, West, West Sussex
I always thought the Olympics were for amateur sports persons. That idea seems to have long since died a death.
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
62,424
Location Location
Plus we've got the European Championships in 2012 (presumably that tournemant would take place BEFORE the Olympics), so it really would be a scratch England side of youngsters who the clubs don't mind releasing for an event that would take place right on top of the new season.
 


Benny Seagull

Active member
Jul 5, 2003
1,625
London
İbrahim Tatlıses;2971981 said:
Well... it's better than having no team at all (or sharing with the jocks), so that's me happy.

i just don't get this attitude. we 'share with the jocks' for all the other events why not football? it's because footballers (and football fans alike) are so f***ing stupid they can't get passed this prejudice and hatred they feel for the rest of great britain. well f*** that. i'd happily welcome team gb, just as i support murray at wimbledon and calzaghe through any other competition. and despite it will probably be mostly made up of english players it would be great to see a little alligience for once.
 




Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
İbrahim Tatlıses;2972042 said:
To some of us the ONLY sport is football - and the England/Scotland rivalry is a big one.

Wrong, Australia vs England in rugby is about 10 times bigger. The Scots lose to England at football 9 times out of 10 so I find it a bit dull tbh.
 




Wrong, Australia vs England in rugby is about 10 times bigger. The Scots lose to England at football 9 times out of 10 so I find it a bit dull tbh.


No one in England gives a flying kick about beating Australia at rugby (presumably union, as we never beat them at league).

CRICKET , on the other hand.......................................:p
 




Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,830
Uffern
I probably would.
But it would be with a kind of "JPT couldn't-really-give-a-stuff" knid of indifference. I couldn't even tell you who the current Olympic champions are.
Brazil, presumably ?

It's Argentina I think
 


Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
31,269
The GB football team was a stupid idea to begin with.

If, as appears likely, the British & Irish Lions start the 1st Test vs South Africa with no Scots in the starting XV I don't expect anyone will complain, mainly because none of the Scottish players are good enough to deserve to start.

So why is football any different?

Scotland's best player is Darren Fletcher. Would Alex Ferguson start him ahead of Gerrard or Lampard? I think not.
 








Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
62,424
Location Location
Yep.

Don't you remember all the stuff about Messi playing/not playing, Easy?

Not really. Must have passed me by.
As I say, Olympic Soccerball falls on my sporting radar somewhere between Speedway and handicapped basketball.
 


Brovion

In my defence, I was left unsupervised.
NSC Patron
Jul 6, 2003
19,871
England v Scotland was so big it had to be ended due to excessive Scotch fervour. Both your points have been exagerated by a factor of about ten.
I'll grant you it USED to be big, and I think when I was a boy in the 1960s Scotland had won more than we had and I always thought beating them each year was the most important result. Sod World Cups etc, we MUST beat the Jocks. But times change, nowadays I consider our rivals to be Germany and Argentina as beating them, even if it's only in friendlies, is always a good result. From an English point of view England and Scotland football rivalry nowadays is like our rivalry with Crawley.
 


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