AUGUST 23 – THE Prime Minister (pictured) has been accused of scoring a “spectacular own goal” after he said in Beijing today that he would try to persuade Scotland and Wales to back plans for a united British football tournament to take part in the 2012 Olympics.
Gordon Brown said that he had spoken with Sepp Blatter, the president of world governing body FIFA and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and received reassurances about the fears that the Home Countries would lose their independence to compete in tournaments like the World Cup and European Championships if they sanctioned a British football team in London.
He told Sky News today: “I hope there will be a team by 2012.
“It will be Team UK.
“I hope we can get an agreement on that.
“I think when people are looking at the Olympics in 2012 - Britain, home of football, where football was invented, which we gave to the world - I think people would be very surprised if there is an Olympic tournament in football and we are not part of it.
“I am determined to work with the football associations and the Olympic Committee to ensure that when we come to 2012 we have a men’s football team and we have a women’s football team playing.”
The Scottish and Welsh FA’s have stated repeatedly that they have no interest in getting involved in helping Britain compete in the Olympics for the first time since 1972, when a team of amateurs narrowly failed to qualify for the Munich Games.
The last time Britain competed in the tournament proper was in Rome 1960, although both the men and women qualified for Beijing thanks to the performances of England but turned down their spots.
The SNP’s sport spokesman in Westminster Pete Wishart said: “This is a spectacular own goal for Brown.
“He is out of touch with the overwhelming views of football supporters throughout the UK.
“All the national supporters groups oppose this move and see it as a threat to the status of their nations to field independent football squads.
“Not only do all the national supporters associations oppose such a move but the majority of football associations in the UK have said they do not want to take part in a single UK team as it could threaten their existence within FIFA.
“Instead of trying to brow beat the SFA, the IFA [Irish Football Assocation] and the Football Association of Wales into a single team Gordon Brown should abandon his campaign which threatens the identity of each of the home associations and their national squads.”