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'It's 2012, do you know where your national team is?'
Certainly not at the London Olympics as FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter has decreed that there isn’t going to be a Great Britain national team. The four home nations, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland hold special status within FIFA, voting their own VP for example and over the years there have been various rumblings that the home nations should be treated as one rather than the current set up.
England and Northern Ireland were willing to create a Great Britain team but Scotland and Wales have resisted. You have to wonder if that’s because other than Craig Gordon and Gareth Bale it’s hard to imagine many others breaking into a combined team.
When it comes to the Olympics Blatter’s position appears to be that either Great Britain picks an English team or no team at all.
Meanwhile another year without the British Home Championships and little chance with Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland agreeing to the Celtic Cup.
Which leads to one inescapable position. Why can’t a Home Championship be held in 2012 with the winner representing Great Britain in the Olympics? It wouldn’t be Great Britain’s best combined team but it would be a team that would play with pride and personally I’d get a kick out of someone other than England representing Great Britain. Not because I want England to lose, but rather Great Britain always does the underdog role rather well and having Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland represent us in the Olympics would be a blast.
