THE Scottish Football Association angrily re-stated their opposition to Scottish players participating in London 2012 last night after Stuart Pearce, the newly appointed Team GB coach, admitted that he still hopes to persuade non-English players to take part.
After being asked by the British Olympic Association to oversee Team GB at next summer’s Olympics, the FA opted for the former England full-back and current under-21 coach to take control of the men’s side, with Hope Powell, the England women’s coach, leading the women’s team.
The other home nations have long made their opinions known about entering a competition which they feel may jeopardise their independent status in the international game, but Pearce said he still hopes to have Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh footballers available for the competition and urged the players to make themselves available.
Whether Pearce would risk constitutional anarchy by selecting non-English players for the competition -- which will disrupt the domestic season -- remains a moot point but Welsh stars such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey have already spoken in positive terms about participation while Kim Little, of Scotland and Arsenal ladies, is another who would be a definite asset to Team GB.
The 18-strong men’s squad must contain 15 players who were born on, or after, January 1, 1989, plus three over-age players. There are no age limits for the women’s selections.
“I’m not going into this job looking only to select English players,” Pearce said. “If at all possible, it should be made up of all the home nations. They should come forward and put their players up for selection.
“A lot of it will depend on the players’ mentality. If the players want to be part of it, that would be fantastic and I think they will. I think they will be very, very excited to be part of this showcase of football. Dialogue will come into it between myself, the federations, and the managers concerned. I think support will be galvanised as the months go by and the tournament nears kick-off.”
It will be the first time since the Rome games of 1960 that Britain will have fielded a men’s team, while the women are making their debut, but an SFA spokesman last night said the team should be entirely English. “In light of today’s announcement, the SFA reiterates its opposition to taking part in Team GB,” a spokesperson said. “We have been consistently clear in our position and, in particular, the threat it poses to our independent membership of FIFA and also our representation on the International Football Association Board.
“A letter was signed by the SFA, Irish FA and Football Association of Wales in 2009 to enable England to represent Team GB. We remain in alignment with those associations. It is imperative we preserve our voice at the top table of world football and the supporters are in agreement with our stance. We have consulted with the men’s and women’s international squads in order that they understand our position and the reasons for that position.”
Meanwhile, the SFA last night confirmed that Craig Levein’s side will travel to play Cyprus in a friendly on Friday, November 11, a match which will mark Scotland’s first visit to the Mediterranean isle since a famous 3-2 win in 1989, secured by a Richard Gough header five minutes into injury time.
“Going to Cyprus will give us an opportunity to build on the team ethic and provide another chance for players to show that they are heading in the right direction as we begin our preparations for the World Cup qualifiers next year,” Levein said.
The governing body have also taken their next steps towards instilling the ethos envisaged by Mark Wotte, the new performance director, as they commenced the recruitment process for a national youth team coach to work with the Under-19 side and five regional elite performance youth coaches.
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