Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Teamwork
Talking of heresies, today's Western Mail reveals that the threat posed by a single GB Olympic football team is still a live possibility.
Many people would like to see such a team play at the 2012 London Olympics, however that could jeopardise the independence of football associations representing the celtic nations and put the continuing existence of their national football teams at risk.
The reassurances of FIFA do not cut much ice with the Welsh and Scottish FAs and why should they when Lord Coe and the British Olympic Association continue to trample over people's sensibilities?
The FIFA press release from May 2004 found by Wrexham Labour AM, Lesley Griffiths offers an alternative way forward. The British Olympic Association should look at that alternative rather than persist with its present course of promoting conflict and mistrust.
Many people would like to see such a team play at the 2012 London Olympics, however that could jeopardise the independence of football associations representing the celtic nations and put the continuing existence of their national football teams at risk.
The reassurances of FIFA do not cut much ice with the Welsh and Scottish FAs and why should they when Lord Coe and the British Olympic Association continue to trample over people's sensibilities?
The FIFA press release from May 2004 found by Wrexham Labour AM, Lesley Griffiths offers an alternative way forward. The British Olympic Association should look at that alternative rather than persist with its present course of promoting conflict and mistrust.
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there is thankfully no chance whatsoever - whatever 'pressure' the brown govt thinks it can exert - of the welsh, scottish and northern irish FAs agreeing to allow its players to play in a so called GB team at the london olympics!
The respective welsh, scotish and northern irish FAs rightly believe that to accede to gordon brown's pathetic public posturing on this matter would endanger their right to exist as individual members of FIFA.
As - despite regular claims to the contrary in various parts of the english media such as the right wing daily mail and the sun - they have been given no assurances whatever by FIFA that their footballing independence would not be threatened by participating in a GB olympic footbal team!
If the english FA - in collusion with the brown govt - wish to select a side based entirely on english players and call it a GB football team that is a matter for them.
That is always assuming of course that the likes of arsenal, chelsea and man utd are willing to release their top english players a couple of weeks before the new footbal season starts and only a few weeks after the 2012 european championship???
I somehow cannot see this happening!!!!
So when that sudden convert to association football gordon brown accepts the inevitable defeat on the issue and all the hullaballoo has died down there will almost certainly be a team at the 2012 olympics composed of english under 23 players - who will of course fail dismally despite absurd claims beforehand in various right wing english newpapers that the 'english lions' will win the tournament! (sound familiar?)
Leigh,
swansea.
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The respective welsh, scotish and northern irish FAs rightly believe that to accede to gordon brown's pathetic public posturing on this matter would endanger their right to exist as individual members of FIFA.
As - despite regular claims to the contrary in various parts of the english media such as the right wing daily mail and the sun - they have been given no assurances whatever by FIFA that their footballing independence would not be threatened by participating in a GB olympic footbal team!
If the english FA - in collusion with the brown govt - wish to select a side based entirely on english players and call it a GB football team that is a matter for them.
That is always assuming of course that the likes of arsenal, chelsea and man utd are willing to release their top english players a couple of weeks before the new footbal season starts and only a few weeks after the 2012 european championship???
I somehow cannot see this happening!!!!
So when that sudden convert to association football gordon brown accepts the inevitable defeat on the issue and all the hullaballoo has died down there will almost certainly be a team at the 2012 olympics composed of english under 23 players - who will of course fail dismally despite absurd claims beforehand in various right wing english newpapers that the 'english lions' will win the tournament! (sound familiar?)
Leigh,
swansea.
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