Great Britain will not be fielding football teams in the 2016 Rio Olympics after all.
The idea has been binned after opposition from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish associations prompted the Football Association to admit to defeat in its attempt to resurrect the men's and women's teams that represented GB in the 2012 London Olympics.
That was understood by the four unions to be a one-off, recognition that the British public deserved the chance to watch their players in action at their home Olympics. But when earlier this year the FA revealed its intention to raise two teams for the Rio Games, they encountered strong opposition from their Celtic counterparts. "I am absolutely gutted with the English FA – very, very disappointed," stormed Trefor Lloyd Hughes, the Welsh FA president. "England seem to want to run everything and take over the whole game. But we will not let that happen – the dragon on Wales has still got flame coming out of his mouth. We are not going to be bullied."
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Such rhetoric was echoed by the Scottish FA who, according to BBC Sport, "feared a united British team could risk its independence within Fifa, world football's governing body". The SFA added that the FA had seriously "underestimated the strength of feelings" from the other home nations.
Previously Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce – a Northern Irishman – had said that the sport's governing body had given him "an absolute categorical reassurance" that GB teams would only be permitted to compete in Brazil if there was agreement from all the home nations.
The reason behind the FA's desire to send a team to Rio is because it sees it as a good opportunity to develop young talent (Olympic squads of 18 players must contain 15 players under the age of 23). In the short term, however, the FA are facing the possibility that some Premier League clubs are rumoured to be ready to stop their best young players competing for England at the 2015 Under-21 European Championship. The junior Three Lions beat Germany 3-2 on Monday evening, prompting Gary Lineker to call for national unity in the summer. "If clubs try to pull their players out it would be a national disgrace," tweeted the former England captain turned TV pundit. "England beat Germany. Add a few from the seniors and they could win Euros."
