FIFA okays British football team at 2012 Olympics

FIFA gave the green light on Saturday for a British football team at the 2012 London Olympics, saying it would not have any effect on the individual status of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have voiced concern that taking part as as Britain would compromise their ability to compete in future international tournaments as separate teams.

But at its executive committee meetings in Tokyo, FIFA insisted it would not.

“The executive committee confirmed that the participation in the 2012 London Olympic Games of a single team representing Great Britain would not affect the existing individual status of the four British football associations,” it said.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter added that the ball was now in the hands of the British associations, who will report back to the governing body in March.

“In FIFA, we have no problem with that because four British associations are identified in FIFA statutes as being four different entities,” he stressed.

“And now for the Olympic Games, they have to play in one entity. The ball is now in their turf. We expect a solution that will be presented to us for the month of March.”

The Scottish Football Association is the most strongly opposed to the idea, although British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, himself a Scot, is in favour.

Brown said on Friday that he had spoken to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson about leading the team.

“Sebastian Coe (the 2012 Olympics organising committee chairman) and I have talked to Alex Ferguson about the possibility that he might want to be the manager,” he said.

England coach Fabio Capello, whose contract expires in 2012, has also expressed an interest, saying it was his “dream.”