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Great 'British' Olympic Football team

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Suprised there isn't already a thread about it.

So what are your opinions on it? I see no problem with having a Great British football team made up of amateurs to compete in the Olympics. When it comes to FIFA matches though, it should definately stay as seperate 'home nation' sides, because of historical and patriotic signifigance.
To any British football fan, the Olympic footballing affair is never going to be as important as FIFA, and as long as we keep our seperate sides for what really matters, I see no problem in having a united team of British amateurs representing us in the Olympics. It would be stupid to have Olympic football sides for England, Wales, Scotland and N.Ireland when that's the only sport they play in, and all their medals would more than likely be counted as team Great Britain's anyway.
However I do think it's a bit stupid how the side will be made up completely of English players. Espescially as football matches will be played in Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff...who are the 'home fans' going to support? The British?...right, the English?
I understand Wales, Scotland and N.Ireland not wanting to be included in all things British, due to fear of losing their independance. But we already have independance in what really matters, FIFA. By having an all English, 'Great Britain' football team, it's just showing the world that Football in Britain is all about England anyway.
To get even more technical, why is it even called team Great Britain anyway? Why not team UK? Seeing as Northern Ireland isn't actually part of Great Britain as such...although I'm aware it's still part of the 'British Isles' and therefore, Northern Irish people are still considered British.

Thoughts?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Because GBRANI is too long.

    They are paranoid FIFA will use a team GB as an excuse to push for removing the home nation's privileges. FIFA don't like it at all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Most African and Central American nations don't like or understand why there are separate home nations when they are not separate countries. They also don't like the fact that one of the FIFA board of executives must ALWAYS be from a home nation. If a Great Britain football team came into existance it would be used as precedent to merge the home nations. FIFA guarantees aren't worth the paper they are written on.

    About ten years ago the Oceania confederation were told that their qualification winner would get automatic qualification to the World Cup, rather than having to play off against a South American team (usually Bolivia and usually in La Paz). About a week before qualification for the 2002 World Cup FIFA changed their mind.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't see the problem with it. The home countries can't compete separately in the Olympics anyway, so it's not like anything can be lost from it, except our collective dignety when we get pwned. But we'll get pwned together.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think they've done the right thing. Everyone wants to see us have a team in it, but it would be too dangerous to have a proper British football team for the reasons mentioned. Certain people in the footballing world have been trying to claim that we shouldn't have the right to play as seperate countries, despite having always had seperate FAs and leagues. We don't want to give them any ammunition. But since we want a team, England probably represent our best chance of doing well, so it might as well be them.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't see the problem with it. The home countries can't compete separately in the Olympics anyway, so it's not like anything can be lost from it

    Although the Olympic Tournament is run by the IOC, it's a FIFA-sanctioned tournament. That means that if all the home countries compete as one team in this tournament, the precedent has been set for the home countries to compete together in ALL FIFA-sanctioned tournaments.

    There's a lot to lose if you like having independent FAs and independent leagues of football. Personally, I'd hate to be merged with the Scots and the Welsh.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I can't see the Welsh particularly liking the idea of merging with the English. Or indeed, ANYONE particularly liking the idea of merging with the English.

    The Scots would soon hate it once Gordon Brown went to a camera and referred to their players as "North British".
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