AUGUST 4 – FIFA PRESIDENT Sepp Blatter (pictured) today announced he planned to launch a review into the Olympic 2012 football tournament as he again urged Britain to field a team of Englishman in the event to avoid the fear of the Home Countries losing their independence.
The build-up to this year’s event in Beijing has been marred by rows over top European clubs refusing to release players over the age of 23.
Spanish giants Barcelona, along with German clubs Werder Bremen and Schalke, have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to stop its Argentinan midfielder Lionel Messi from competing at the Games and a ruling is expected within the next 48 hours.
FIFA insist clubs must release their under-23 players for international duty based on a regulation passed by the congress in 1988 but now they have also insisted that over-age players must also be allowed to travel to take part in the tournament.
Blatter, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is keen to avoid a similar row at London 2012.
He said: “In the future I think it is necessary we have an exact and precise ruling.
“It has been decided for 2012 to avoid any misunderstandings and problems – plus or not plus three overage players – that the whole item of the presence of football in the Olympic Games shall be discussed immediately after the conclusion of the 2008 Olympic Games, together with the IOC.
“The discussion will be open and is [designed] to have a clear and clean situation for everybody for the 2012 Olympics.
“It is not only a question of solidarity.
“It is also a question of respect to the Olympic spirit to let the young players have the experience.
“Jurgen Klinsmann wrote in his book: ‘The moment I received the bronze medal in the Olympics in Seoul 1988 when Germany beat Italy it was my number one outstanding emotion’.
“We need the leagues and the clubs but we need players.
“Even if the ruling is negative for the players they should stay here, they should play here.”
The FIFA and IOC review could see an end to the current rule which allows each country to select three players over the age of 23, a loophole which has allowed former world footballer of the year Ronaldhino, 28, to be selected by Brazil.
FIFA last discussed the possibility of turning the Olympic football tournament into an under-23 competition back in 2006 but congress decided to retain the three overage players for the Beijing Games.
It is ironic that, bearing in mind Blatter’s sometimes difficult relationship with the English Premier League, that none of the clubs affected by losing key players - most notably Liverpool – have protested to CAS, something he praised them for.
But Blatter acknowledged the determination of the British Olympic Association (BOA) to enter a team for the 2012 football tournament is set to cause its own problems.
He said: “The 2012 Games will be played in London.
“There is another problem there because the four British associations have to put in one team which would be called Great Britain.
“It is a unique problem.
“They have four individual associations.
“They have one Olympic association.”
Scotland and Wales are refusing to co-operate with the BOA because they fear that if they do it will lead to them losing their independence to compete in events like the World Cup and European Championships.
Blatter repeated his suggestion that the BOA field a team of Englishman, using as an example of Britain’s curling team which won the Olympic gold medal at the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002 and consisted of just Scots.
He said: “The first Olympic Games after the second World War were organised in London.
“There was a British football team there.
“Therefore, also in 2012 there will be a British team.
“For us it is not important if the players are all from England.”