TONY Blair would like to see an all-UK football team at the London Olympic games (although it’s referred to as a ‘Great Britain’ team, as is the tradition of the Olympics). The Times reported that of the four British football federations, “England and Northern Ireland have given their backing to a united team, but Wales and Scotland have not”.
The words of Brian O’Nolan, variously Brian Ó Nualláin, Myles na gCopaleen, Myles na Gopaleen and, of course, Flann O’Brien. That O’Nolan was referencing his own dissolute student days at UCD only mildly distracts from the prophetic undertone of his words: I paid no attention whatsoever to books or study and regarded lectures as a [...] read our review »
John Laird (Lord Laird of Artigarvan) is unionism’s jester. His memoir A Struggle To Be Heard ” by a True Ulster Liberal” (from Slugger’s shop on Amazon here) might serve more as a heavy stocking filler than anybody’s idea of a main present. In it he wears the masks of comedy and tragedy to turn the [...] read our review »
And Bliar knows where he can stick it too!.
A team of eleven Englishmen masquerading under something called the “Yoo Kay”?, no thank you.
Wouldn’t this eventually lead to a UK soccer team.
Surely then any decent player from the north would throw their lot in with the Republic, as the UK team will be England + a token Scot.
“England and Northern Ireland have given their backing to a united team, but Wales and Scotland have not”.
The Scots as usual are acting like what they are – a bunch of losers.
As usual when it comes down to it, the English can depend on their loyal fellow Brits from NI, but not on the selfish begrudgers.
I can’t understand this at all. There is no threat to the status of Wales or Scotland with respect to having separate teams from UEFA or FIFA’s points of view.
This is simple begrudgery. The Scots especially specialize in that.
It would serve the buggers right if FIFA and UEFA, in the light of Scotland not playing fairly here, moved to a ‘one team per country’ point of view. There is some demand for that within FIFA already from countires who can’t understand why the UK gets 4 teams.
If the Scots want to act the maggot and bring down a FIFA vote on themselves, so be it. I’d laugh my ass off if FIFA imposed one UK team on the UK. What would the Scots do then? Still refuse to play on it?
Maybe that would spur them on to trying for independence, and we would end up with an unofficial Scottish team in the way that other bunches of rebels have teams – Catalonia and the Basques being the 2 best examples.
Bring it on I say. It would serve the buggers right.
If the English football team was run the way British politics is…………
Dear English FA
As representatives of the Scottish FA we would like to inform you that we wish to change the way the English football team is managed to bring it more in line with the way our government has been run in the last few years.
This will involve the following:
1. The Manger of the Scottish football team is allowed to be involved with the running of the English team. However, the manager of the English team should have no say whatsoever in the running of the Scottish team. This shall be known as the West Lothian Athletic question.
2. A sizable proportion of any money the English FA raises from, say sponsorship or crowd takings, shall be given to the Scottish FA, regardless as to whether you need it or not. This does not apply the other way round. This is known as the Barnett formation.
3. The nationality of the English manager should be brought in line with the nationality of the leaders of the major political parties. ie Scottish. Therefore, we insist that Graham Souness be appointed to be manager of the English team with immediate effect.
4. You are not to call yourself England any longer. You will now be known as the British Regions. We, on the other hand, are still to be known as Scotland, “a proud and noble nation”.
5. From this moment on, the English FA will cease to exist. However, the Scottish FA will be allowed to continue to work independently.
A failure to follow these rules will see you branded as arrogant, selfish and unfair.
I’m sure you will find this to you satisfaction. After all, you seem to be happy with this state of affairs with our political system. So why not your football team?
Yours sincerely
Mr A McBlair and Mr G McBrown, SFA
I can tell you right now Harpo that most Scots would happily go down that route because, other than the eejits that turn up at Ibrox every other weekend, there’s no one waving a union jack up here.
Mark Hampton, as you colourful metaphor for UK politics alludes to, the idea that “The Manger of the Scottish football team is allowed to be involved with the running of the English team. However, the manager of the English team should have no say whatsoever in the running of the Scottish team” is plain wrong.
Control of defence policy, taxation, immigration and many other areas of national importance are still retained by Westminster.
That is why it is called ‘devolution’ and not ‘independence’.
I could see you point if Scotland was completely independent but still retained voting rights in a UK parliament, that would be nonsensical.
However, we are not in that situation.
In fact, the UK government retains such power that it could theoretically abolish Holyrood with a snap of its fingers.
Of course this will not happen, and people south of the border who are grumbling about the the current set-up are faced with two choices.
1) Get your facts right and stop moaning.
2) Hand over the rest of the powers and let Scotland manage its own affairs for better or for worse.
Mr Eye, wouldn’t you need a majority of people in Scotland to actually want independence first?
I get the impression too many scots enjoy “mutha’s breast milk”.
“wouldn’t you need a majority of people in Scotland to actually want independence first?”
The prevailing attitude in England will force all parties into looking at a solution to what they perceive to be the current malaise sooner rather than later Cahal.
I’m no Mystic Meg, but if Scots are forced to choose between shutting down the parly in Edinburgh or going the whole hog and becoming independent – there will be separate Olympic teams afore long.
Mark Hampton
Post of the year. A classic.
Cathal “Wouldn’t this eventually lead to a UK soccer team.” No there have been united teamns at the Olympics on a number of occasions, and FIFA have said that they are ok with the idea of a united team in London, and it would make no difference to the four national organistions.
“Surely then any decent player from the north would throw their lot in with the Republic, as the UK team will be England + a token Scot.”
I suspect that football may not be your specialised subject on Mastermind. The U.K. team is guaranteed a place in the Olympics as they will host. The Irish team has tried to make it to the Olympics on several occasions and failed every time.
Maybe a dumb question but are Northern Ireland’s athletes represented in the Olympics only through the UK contingent? In which case there would be very few. In which case why not throw in your lot with Republic?
Another great idea from our inspirational leader.
Now, in order to follow it through, he is fortunate to have John Prescott, currently freed up from other onerous duties, to get the job done.
Peter Reid will as always be on standby to take over the reins whenever John, inevitably, is caught with his trousers round his ankles while displaying the finer points of the game to his new secretary.
Next year proposals for an all-UK tennis star to win Wimbledon will be appraised by a select committee including such luminaries as Tara Palmer Somethingorother and Jeremy Clarkson, the well known and much loved London cabbie.
Vote New Labour – you know it makes sense!
‘Wouldn’t this eventually lead to a UK soccer team.’
Cahal:
Well spotted, given that this is what Tony Blair is asking for.
Of course the point of asking for a UK soccer team is strangely enough to eventually have a UK soccer team.
When Blair said he would like such a team, what did you think he was advocating? 2p off the top rate of tax?
The Eye:
What Mark Hampton said is quite right. It’s a great analogy.
He isn’t talking about ‘federal level’ things in his analogy – he refers to local level stuff, and in the analogy quite rightly uses the Scottish and English teams as analogies for local level laws within both England and Scotland.
He didn’t refer to a UK level team at all.
So in his anlogy Scottish representatives get to interfere in what logically should be an English only concern. That applies whether or not he is talking about English laws or the English football team.
Are you always so humourless?
‘No there have been united teamns at the Olympics on a number of occasions, and FIFA have said that they are ok with the idea of a united team in London, and it would make no difference to the four national organistions.’
Keith:
Good points. There is no logical reason as to why the Scots couldn’t take part in this. Scots are members of all sorts of other teams within the UK Olympic squad (and take part in individual events), so what is it about Scottish football that makes it so different?
Is a Scot any less of a Scot because he/she is on the UK squad for the 100M, or the discus, or the 200M breaststroke? I don’t think so.
I’d say this is pure pig-headedness on the part of the Scottish FA, supported by Scottish football fans who are in general also pig-headed.
It reminds me of the Scottish FA’s attitude to the 1950 World Cup. Scotland qualified for that World Cup but withdrew from the finals because they didn’t come first in their qualifying group, which at that time consisted of the Home Championship. Who came first? England of course, and Scotland weren’t going to go as second best.
Just like then, this selfishness is based on nothing more than anti-Englishness. They were losers then and they are losers now.
Maybe it’s good that Scotland and Wales don’t want to take part, since they are both shit at the moment and there isn’t much hope for either of them getting any better.
NI has shown that it can beat England, so a combined England and NI squad should do very nicely. Elliott and Healey would be naturals for the first team.
I see nothing wrong with a UK team consisting of people who actually want to be there.
And if the Scots and the Welsh don’t want to play then they can bugger off. There won’t be any of the Olympic football games held in Scotland or Wales if they don’t want to participate. England has got lots of good stadia, and some games could be held at HMP Maze to reward the IFA.
When anyone advocates an Ireland team they are met with an amount of reasons why the north should keep its own team. Now that argument has been conceded the logical thing to do would be to proceed to a united Irish FA and international team.
That would be the de-facto outcome of a British team but without the IFA having a say. The worst of both worlds.
For all the begrudgers, The Scots are the only team from the UK to have previously qualified for the Olympics. But they didn’t go to upset the rest of the “losers” in the UK.
Why don’t they simply see which of the 4 national teams do best in qualifying and just enter the one national team under the UK OLympic banner, simple really.
The English FA (or “The FA” as they like to call themselves) are so spineless it is unbelievable. Rather than bending over backwards to accomodate Blair and Brown’s unionist agenda, they should be asking why there isn’t an English olympic team that they, as football’s governing body in England, could send a team to the olympics to represent the English nation. At least the Scottish and Welsh FA’s have a spine and a sense of national pride.
I believe Olympic football is an Under 23 competition so Theo Walcott will miss out… but he should be used to that.
The Scots and Welsh are right to resist a cynical proposal like this. Probably intended to undermine their separate national identities – especially in Scotland where Labour faces a strong SNP challenge. The NI team supporting the All-UK team just goes to show how un-Irish this team is in terms of its players’ national identity and another reason why no Nationalist would support it – or a British-wide team – over the Republic.
BG.
You do seem to give credence to a load of eedjits, the eye rubbished all yer man was saying. And this story is how old? this issue was put to bed a long time ago. Tony must be trying to appease the slabbering masses, you know talk football, talk of conquering other nations fitba teams.
We in Scotland, as the proud inventors of the beautifull game, and acknowledged as exporters of it around the world(much like the Irish and Catholicism). We gave it to the S.Americans, and are acknowledged along with Irishmen like Bernardo O’Higgins(liberator from Spanish rule) as part of the invigoration of that continent. I seem to remember a few teams that have done well since football was introduced there by Scots.
Now FIFA have granted perpetual single nation status(or something like it) as regards football, due to being one of the initial founders of the world and Euro associations. We are represented very well, and even have guys from the mighty Brechin City sitting on EUFA committees. Any attempt to take away our rights as single nation reps would be much, much less popular than daft wee Dave’s idea, to make us second class citizens in this soon to be defunct union.
Harpo says;
“The Scots as usual are acting like what they are – a bunch of losers.”
Harpo, personifies the growing Unionist anger at the realisation that, we in Scotland really are going to destroy this union, not just grumbling any more I am afraid. Harpo is clever enough(stop me if I go too far) to understand that they(unionists) could ignore the English not wanting them while there is a viable union. Without Scotland to help pay for the sectarian statelet, the gerrymandered 6 counties would be up shit creek without a paddle. Anyway it is heartening to see Harpo venting his spleen in another direction.
Everytime there is talk of union, we get the same propoganda shite about mothers tit, England bankrolling Scotland. I’m sure this has been true on many occassions over the 300 years, but this has not been the case over the last 30 odd years. Not meaning to blow Scottish trumpets(but I will) Scots have also punched far higher than her weight in practically any field you wish to mention, believe me England has had her money’s worth. I could bore you all to death(go on dare me), suffice to say how many top govt. jobs are held by non-Scots at present?
In the words of Mel Gibson “They can take our lives, but they will never take our freedom”
Magnify our anger 100 fold if anybody tries to take our fitba, as an olympic team would lead UEFA to question our commitment to our status. Especially at a time when our land is soon to be independant.
Phil.
Kind words, we will be sure to leave the light on at our border posts. Although no economic migrants please;¬)
More rubbish from Blair.This will set a very dangerous precedent for Scotland and Wales.
At least they have the sense to see through it.
As for NI thier association is just Pathetic.
Whatever the composition of the team it might be best not to have Lord Levy in goal. He’s looking decidedly dodgy in that role for the government team at the mo’.
Oh come on Rory, we all know that his game is tennis. After all that’s where all the cash is. I was going to say cricket, since their home is at lord’s. But decided it was too obvious a paper note trail that.
Mark Hampton
Your analogy is sort of clever in a Daily Mail columnist type of way. But actually, the leaders of the two biggest political parties in the UK are both English (no, going to Fettes does not actually make you Scottish). The English are getting to be terrible whingers these days, just because no-one else supported your team of prima donnas, thuggish chavs and overpaid ballerinas during the World Cup.
Who really cares about Olympic football anyway? It’s a second rate tournament. And who’d want to support the England team in drag?
Crow
It depends on the sport – some are organised on a UK basis, some on an All-Ireland basis. NI athletes are therefore usually represented in both squads depending on which Olympic Committee their sport is affiliated to. Hence our hockey players compete in the UK squad, our boxers in the Irish squad (to quote one example).
Brian Boru
Labour don’t face a strong SNP challenge in Scotland. The SNP is in freefall at the moment. See, for example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Parliament_Election%2C_2003 and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/html/region_7.stm – Labour have been shedding votes to the LibDems and to the left.
There’s certainly a sustained, long-term, change in attitudes to Britishness and the Union in Scotland, which has been going on for around 40 years, and is deeply visible when you ask Scots about their national identity and compare the answers from under 30s with over 70s; but the idea that this means Scottish independence is just around the corner is fantasy.
I think you’re right Prince, I’d say this story was about a year old, but the fact that it took the opposition of the Scottish and Welsh FA’s to ensure that it isn’t going to happen says everything you need to know about the suits at the so called English FA (don’t want to harm our chances of a knighthood, old boy). Re the lights at the border, please do leave them on. If anyone asks I’ll tell them that you said it was ok!
Hmmmm…..
even little ol’ Montenegro left in the end.
Young Fogey.
Another myth dispelled, much like the one that says England subsidises Scotland.
http://www.alba.org.uk/polls/2006polls.html
The SNP are in the lead in recent Mori polling. Indeed all three parties advocating independance, the Socialists and greens along with the SNP outstrip the once dominant labour party. Granted polls are different from elections, I am more than happy to await next years one.
Phil.
Will do. I see no reason why our two nations can’t live in harmony in the future. We have had a relatively harmonious union, and the days of feudalism are gone. Also, you know from experience that you would want to be on our side in a fight. Ask the Germans;¬)
“Also, you know from experience that you would want to be on our side in a fight.”
Too right, I’ve been out in Glasgee on a saturday night. LOL.
What is Blair trying to hide?
He had a go at the LTA over prize money at Wimbledon whereas it is the All England club that pays the prize money.
Whenever Labour attacks something in the wrong something is up like hiding Peter Mandelson’s bribe scandals which would put Neil Hamilton to shame.
Phil.
Oh it’s all quite civilised these days. They have polis road blocks at the city centre outskirts. After enquiring if you have an offensive weapon, if you reply to the negative, they are more than happy to supply you with one;¬)
The reality is that it is all change. In the words of Govan’s finest(no, not the currant buns) Rab C, Glasgow has been “sartoriously sand-blasted.” The change is remarkable, even since I returned from Oz about 10 years ago the turn-around is drastic. Believe it or not but Glesca now rates highly in desireable places to live and is mentioned in despatches all over the world for the magnificent architecture.
Eoghan,
Come on! Really, one opinion poll in a country with a history of fickle polling does not change the fact that the SNP have been going backwards in real elections for the past 10 years. And this is just one poll. For example, Labour, even at an anaemic 33%, led the SNP by 10 points in the only other poll taken this year.
I could see the SNP having a good year next year, with Salmond back at the helm instead of blubbering Sturgeon and the LibDems stuck where they were, but even then, we’re talking 28% of the vote at absolute, total, best here. It’s hardly storming the Bastille, especially when you consider that most of the Greens’ voters don’t realise they’re pro-independence and the SSP are split, as they are about everything.
I can certainly conceive of circumstances in which Scotland leaves the UK, or indeed the UK just dissolves, in the next 30 years. But not being a determinist, I don’t think they’re guaranteed and I can’t see them happening in the next 10 years under any circumstances.
I jest Prince, it’s been a while (July 1996, Celtic v Arsenal and Rangers v Arsenal) but aside from a couple of numpties on the tube coming back from Ibrox, a fine time was had by all as we were well looked after by both sides of the “old firm”.
YF.
This time 6 months ago everything that you have said I would agree with, however there is now an undeniable momentum. Salmond and the SNP seen resurgent, in all the media yesterday and today for giving Blair another stiff left hook. This is a feather in the cap of Salmond in an anti-war Scotland.
What may well really bring in the votes is his reaching out to the Catholic community, my Dad said the other day that even he would vote SNP(swoon) My Dad like almost all Catholics over 40-50 have voted labour all their lives. They used to view an independant Scotland akin to a 6 county situation, and feared the worst. They would rather the devil they knew(England and the union) than the devil they hated(Paisley and the death-squads) Thankfully Scotland has emerged from it’s anti-Catholic past(note to unionists, it is possible) and is even talking up closer links with it’s Celtic cousins in Ireland. We had a great thread about this on here several weeks ago.
However, you have alluded to the most important point. The bride of Frankenstein that is Sturgeon and her partner in crime the bumbling McSwinney are no longer thrust into the public eye as much. This along with the obvious popularity of Salmond will bring in the most votes I feel.
Don’t discount daft Dave’s recent plans, I’m sure that these plans to initiate some kind of two-tier legislature will be sure to have alienated some and ruffled the feathers of others. Of course all is just educated speculation, it’s just that mars is now in conjunction with venus and…..;¬)
Phil.
By coincidence I was at Pierce(I think) O’Leary’s testimonial in 1984(I think) what a great time dancing in the fountains in Traf SQ, having a sing-song about Maggie outside Downing ST. Visiting Kilburn and not seeing a white face until we hit the Irish boozers, I was even allowed a shandy. The absolute best was singing “free Nelson Mandela” outside the S. African embassy at the SQ at God knows what time, charged up from my shandies many hours before, whilst awaiting our bus home.
I have been a gunners fan of sorts since early childhood, and even Charlie Nic was playing for Arsenal that day, we were in the bit to right of Camera pre-seats. We won(I think) Celtic that is.
Jeez… I’ve got carried away, sufficed to say I had a memorable day.
I may have been at the game in 96. Can’t remember though, I’ve since graduated from shandies.
Henry94
“When anyone advocates an Ireland team they are met with an amount of reasons why the north should keep its own team. Now that argument has been conceded the logical thing to do would be to proceed to a united Irish FA and international team.”
To use a footballing analogy, that shot is so wide of goal it’s gone out for a throw-in, Henry.
Northern Ireland supporters are opposed to the abolition of their team, whether that means it being submerged into an All-Ireland team or a UK team.
The proposal here is that NI along with England, Scotland and Wales combine in a one-off situation that would last only for a few weeks in the summer of 2012, in a temporary UK team to compete in an under-23 tournament that the UK is hosting – a tournament NI cannot compete in.
No-one is suggesting a UK team replace the four home nations teams. No-one is suggesting a UK full international team. there’s not even going to be a UK under-23 football team at any other tournaments before or after the London Olympics, and quite rightly so, since the qualifiers for the Olympic tournaments are the European under-21 championship qualifiers, in which NI and the other UK teams compete.
The IFA and NI fans have been quite clear they’d only suppport the idea of a UK team at the 2012 Olympics if assurances were given that this would not harm the continued existence of the NI team in international competition.
Mike, don’t try and insert any facts into an argument about the Northern Ireland football team. The tendancy here seems to be to speak first and check the facts later, or more usually not at all.
In summary: The IFA (and the English FA) have not agreed in principle to abolishing their own team for a UK one, just in co-operating to have a UK team set up for a one-off in the 2012 olympics, an issue which only arises because the UK are hosting and therefore qualify automatically for a competition they usually do not (or cannot) attempt to qualify for.
The problem the Scots and Welsh have is that they think it would be used as an argument by FIFA in forcing the 4 home nations into one UK team, which nobody wants.
So nobody’s “conceded” abolishing the NI team. Anyone want to discuss the actual issue rather than the one in their head?
I’m not sure that Blair’s opinion will change the minds of the SFA or WFA, but here’s hoping.
“Magnify our anger 100 fold if anybody tries to take our fitba, as an olympic team would lead UEFA to question our commitment to our status.”
Posted by Prince Eoghan on Jul 13, 2006 @ 10:03 AM
Beano.
That’s not in my head now is it? You tell me what thread does stick wholeheartedly to the central issues? not many. Anyhow, I’d like to think it all sort of evolved.
That would have been David O’Leary’s first testimonial (he had another v Man United when he reached 20 years, oh for that sort of player loyalty!) but I didn’t go to that one. One Celtic match that does stick in my mind was Paul Davis’ testimonial in 1991. It poured with rain, poor old Paul had his thunder stolen by the returning Charlie and the Messiah, sorry Brady and the Clock End (which would’ve been where you stood previously) was a sea of beered up Scots and Irish. It ended 2-2 and Charlie Nic scored against Arsenal in front of the North Bank and got mobbed by Gooners while Paul Davis cot carried on the shoulders of the Celtic contingent. Outside afterwards I swapped my new “Champions 1990-91″ scarf for some right tatty piece of green and white rag that looked like it had seen plenty of matches previously (doh!). This was followed by the mother of all drunken sing-songs in the Plimsol Arms, Finsbury Park. Happy days indeed. Now, what was the topic of this thread again……..
” tatty piece of green and white rag”
How dare you, no such thing. That scarf would probably have been passed down from generation to generation, and revered as such. Many a time in someone else’s place I have been shown memorabilia and told of all the places that it has been, Lisbon, Amsterdam, and all the generations it has passed through. The guy has probably given you a family heirloom, and that is how you talk of it, bluidy Inglish. LOL
In sympathy, similar happened to me in St Ettiene during France98 and most recently Seville03. Giving away treasured stuff only to get tat back. The lesson is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I was in Oz in 91, but I’m sure that I have heard stories about the game. Celtic fans are great travellers, but also great boors, or should that be bores in relating the stories. Good times Phil;¬)
Salmond and the SNP seen resurgent, in all the media yesterday and today for giving Blair another stiff left hook.
Events, dear boy, and short term ones at that. If the dissolution of the Union ever happens it will be the long term trends rather than a short term blip that doesn’t.
Your opinion old fella. I have provided my reasons aplenty, care to join in.
‘Now that argument has been conceded’
No it hasn’t.
This is a one off event and doesn’t impact the status of the 4 British FA’s, not their teams.
The Olympics requires one team from the UK, a real country.
Any request for an all Ireland team is based on cobbling together a team to represent a geographic entity – the island of Ireland – and not a country. There is no logic to having an all-Ireland team. It’s simply a desire by Irish nationalists to see the whole island be deemed to be the entity that should be represented.
There is no more logic to it than calling for a united British Isles team.
If there is any argument for getting rid of the NI FA, then it would be on the basis of having a UK FA, since NI is part of the UK. But FIFA has assured the 4 UK FA’s that their special status will be retained, and that this one-off Olympic team won’t impact that special status.
‘they should be asking why there isn’t an English olympic team that they, as football’s governing body in England, could send a team to the olympics to represent the English nation. At least the Scottish and Welsh FA’s have a spine and a sense of national pride.’
PHIL:
Bollocks. The IOC recognizes the UK as the entity that gets to send a team to the Olympics. There is no English team, and there aren’t Welsh and Scottish teams either.
How is that the Scots enter the Olympics under the UK banner in all other sorts of disciplines, but when it comes to football they don’t want to do so under some idea of national pride?
Are footballing Scots real Scots and those who participate in other sports sellouts?
Family heirloom eh? I’ll need to get searching when I get home tonight, that scarf is going on e-bay!
‘The NI team supporting the All-UK team just goes to show how un-Irish this team is in terms of its players’ national identity’
Brian Boru:
Un-Irish? Of course they are un-Irish you moron. That’s sort of the point of partition etc. NI is British, and presumably most if not all of the players would accept that.
Did you not understand the bit in the GFA about some people in NI having British identity? This is the outcome of it.
What in hell’s name leads you to think that anything about this issue has got to do with Irishness? NI is part if the UK, and so when a discussion comes up about a united UK team, of course the IFA is going to decide if they want to be part of it or not. Since Ni is part of the UK.
And it is only their concern. How in the name of Sam Hill do you extract anti-Irishness out of it? It’s one of the British FAs being asked to be part of a combined British team. If they decide to do so it isn’t because they are anti-Irish, or anti-French, or anti-Brazilian. It’s because they are British and want to be part of a combined British team.
‘No-one is suggesting a UK team replace the four home nations teams. No-one is suggesting a UK full international team. there’s not even going to be a UK under-23 football team at any other tournaments before or after the London Olympics, and quite rightly so, since the qualifiers for the Olympic tournaments are the European under-21 championship qualifiers, in which NI and the other UK teams compete.’
Mike:
Good post, and a treat to read after all the other nonsense. This has been done in the past and nothing happened regarding the status of the 4 UK FAs, so all the fear-mongering is just that.
Harpo,
The IOC actually has many members that aren’t “nation states” and there is no reason why England, Scotland, Wales and indeed Northern Ireland couldn’t have individual representation at the Olympic games. There is already widespread support for Scottish representation at Olympic level amongst MSP’s. The only reason that there is a lack of political will for English representation is because we lack the institutions of government (at the moment) to make it happen, so less of the bollocks if you don’t mind!
‘So nobody’s “conceded” abolishing the NI team. Anyone want to discuss the actual issue rather than the one in their head?’
beano:
Well said. Facts seem to be too much for some people. We even have someone saying that the decision by the IFA to go for it, shows how un-Irish they are! Not surprising, given that it is one of the British FAs.
Some people can manage to take offence at anything.