Olympic Football?

[Jemisa]

I've been wondering about the football at the Olympics.
I presume we'll have a GB team. How do they select who will play? Being as no proffesionals are allowed, do they pick equel numbers from Eng, Scot, Wales Ire? Its been puzzling me. I've asked H but he doesn't know.

Anyone know.?

jem

[ELVIS68]

I would have been interested had I got tickets for it but I`m into freestyle wrestling now


Not :o(

[Stephen_G]

I'm sure there's a thread on this topic somewhere, Jem - can't find it though.

It used to be the case that the Olympic Football competition was Under-23 players, with three over-age players allowed. The Football Associations of Ireland, Scotland and Wales vetoed any participation in an Olympic GB team.

[Stephen_G]

http://www.theanswerb.../Question1030069.html

The Football Associations of the Home Nations were worried if they threw their hats in with England for Team GB, they'd (Possibly) be forced to merge with the other Home Nations in future Tournaments - Euros and World Cups.

[Jemisa]

Really JN, thats interesting, so it will be England v ... well I never knew that.
ThankQ.

jem

[craft1948]

I don't think any part of GB enters a team do they?

[Buenchico]

Great Britain won the gold medals for football in 1908 and 1912.

Professional players have been allowed to compete in the Olympic football competition since 1972 but no GB team has been entered. It looks like an all-English team will compete next year, with the (English) FA selecting the team.

http://en.wikipedia.o...Olympic_football_team

[Jemisa]

So I presume from that then there will be NO GB team!
I'm disappointed.
Oh Well! there's always the syncronised swimming to look forward to.

jem

[mike11111]

Slightly off-thread, whatever happened to the Home Internationals I remember from my youth?

[Buenchico]

The officials at Wembley Stadium probably got fed up of the Scottish supporters stealing the goalposts, Mike!

However you might be able to relive your youth in 2013:
http://news.bbc.co.uk.../football/9357918.stm

[Jemisa]

I'm confused Chris, we ARE playing in the 2012 O/ Games then???

Jem

[Buenchico]

Jem:
The English FA wanted to get together with their colleagues from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, to select a team which was representative of the whole of the UK. However the other associations weer fearful that it might set a precedent, with FIFA ruling that the UK should only field a single national side in all international tournaments. (Northern Ireland were also far from happy at the proposal to call the team 'Great Britain' since, while Northern Ireland is in the United Kingdom, it's definitely not part of Great Britain!).

The three 'minor' associations have now indicated that they won't get involved in providing any players for the Great Britain team but, also, that they have no objections if the (English) FA fields their own team under the 'Great Britain' name. The International Olympic Committee initially rejected that proposal (as it barred some UK players from possible selection, against their 'anti-discriminatory' policies) but it looks as if it will now go ahead.

Confused? Don't worry! So is everyone else!

[Arksided]

"Confused? Don't worry! So is everyone else!"

Brilliant answer BTW. at least someone on the planet knows what their not doing as well as FIFA.

[Jemisa]

Well thanks Chris for going through the trouble of explaining it again. I think I understand a bit better now, I think.
I've printed it off in case the subject comes up again. - Thanx again.

jem

[VHG]

>>>Slightly off-thread, whatever happened to the Home Internationals
>>>I remember from my youth?

From Englands point of view, with less time for international "friendlies" it was felt playing nations with a similar football style to us was not helpful.

I was felt more important to play teams from Africa, Far East, South America etc to give us more experience of football from around the world.

[rowanwitch]

I used to love it when Scotland came to Wembley the fans used to congregate around the Sussex pub near leicester Square on the friday all in their kilts as it was the pub nearest our office we always used to wander across...they were such fun and always well behaved apart from the usually pointless lifting of the kilts They used to move down to trafalgar square later to the Hibernian club

[Tim123]

They had a go at reviving the home internationals this year, in the shape of the Carling Nations Cup. England didn't take part, and all the matches were played in Dublin. It was something of a disappointment in terms of attendance: most of the games managed 15,000 to 20,000 - worse than Southampton's average home attendance in League 1. Wales v Northern Ireland pulled in 529 punters. You have to go to the bottom of the Blue Square Conference to find a team with an average home gate lower than that.

[mightyWBA]

Beunchico the official name of our Olympic team is Great Britain and Northern Ireland..I refuse to call it "Team GB"!
Therefore any side that takes part in the football from our nation will be representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland regardless of whether all the players are from England.

[SeaJayPea]

There are some individual players, Gareth Bale is one that comes to mind, who have said that they want to be a part of a Great Britain team. Bale's view is that Wales haven't even made the finals of any major competition since 1958, so why should the FAW have the right to prevent him playing in what may be the only big tournament of his career? What sportsman worth his salt would turn down the chance of an Olympic medal? The BOA seems to be saying that they may be open to a challenge through the courts if they were to exclude players from the Celtic nations. This story will run and run. I'd bet that anybody who's chosen and wants to play finishes up playing, but it may take a court case to ensure it.

[ichkeria]

Just to add some facts to this "debate": the Scottish position is completely ridiculous. The NI manager is fully supportive of NI players playing. Any NI players who are selected will have the blessing of the IFA. The "GB" Olympic team is actually the "GB and NI", so the name is not an issue. However the term "team GB" is deeply offensive to NI, and rightly so.l