Questions and Answers about No Team GB
For those who don�t know anything about the
campaign �No Team GB� could you explain what you are all about? What are your
aims and objectives?
The NoTeamGB.com campaign is run by fans
organisations from England (FSF), Northern Ireland (Amalgamation of Northern
Ireland Supporters Clubs), Scotland (Association of Tartan Army Clubs) and Wales
(FSF Cymru) and we are united in our opposition to the creation of a Great
Britain football team for the purposes of the 2012 Olympics or beyond.
There is a real and present threat to the very existence of our international
teams if a Team GB competes at the London Olympics. This would set a dangerous
precedent of competing as Team GB which may endanger our special status within
FIFA.
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are members of FIFA due to special
statutes endorsed in 1947 as a direct result of saving FIFA from bankruptcy
after the war. The Home nations hold 4 of the 8 votes on the International
Committee (the guardians of the rules of football) as well as automatic
Vice-Presidency of FIFA.
This power within FIFA is looked on with envious eyes and our special status has
been called into question several times over the last 30 years. All it would
take is a 2/3rds majority vote at any FIFA General meeting for our international
teams to disappear forever.
The aim of the NoTeamGB.com campaign is to educate the public and fellow fans as
to the dangers involved and to expose the false statements from non-football
people. Our objective is to have the BOA and UK Government drop this futile
campaign which puts at risk the future of our national teams.
Is the opposition to a Team GB just confined to
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Welsh Football fans?
No! England fans (the Football Supporters Federation) also voted against
participating as Team GB at the Olympics and are opposed to any of the parties
putting forward any team under the guise of Team GB.
Britain previously had an Olympic Football Team,
which I believe ran up till 1979 � what is the difference between then and now?
Why not opposition to such an idea when it was in action?
Britain last qualified for the Olympics in 1960, and the last failed qualifying
campaign was for the 1972 Olympics. At this time, Olympic football was an
amateur competition for UEFA based teams but professionals were allowed to play
for countries from other federations.
The Olympic Football competition was fully opened to professionals at the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics to attract more interest in the competition, however a
compromise was agreed with FIFA to make it an U23 competition so as not to rival
the world cup.
GB stopped competing after 1972 when the English FA abolished the distinction
between Amateur and Professional. The home nations had a gentlemen�s agreement
not to compete in the Olympics even if a qualification place was secured by the
performances of the U21s. This very scenario has happened 3 times with Scotland
qualifying for the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and England qualifying for the 2008
Olympics.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter recently gave assurances that the Home Nations
would not be forced to merge even if they established a Team GB and allowed it
to compete in the 2012 London Olympics � is he not to be trusted?
Neither Sepp Blatter nor Jerome Valcke are in any position to give any such
assurances. FIFA operates as a democracy, and it would be 2/3rds of the FIFA
members that would decide on the future of the home nations teams, not any one
individual. Absolutely no official (from FIFA or otherwise) is in any position
to make any guarantees as to how any of the member states may vote in the
future.
Sepp Blatter actually released a completely contradictory statement in March
2008 when he said:
"If you start to put together a combined team for the Olympic Games, the
question will automatically come up that there are four different associations
so how can they play in one team.
If this is the case then why the hell do they have four associations and four
votes and their own vice-presidency?
This will put into question all the privileges that the British associations
have been given by the Congress in 1946."
This warning, from the most powerful man in football, should leave every
football fan in no doubt as to what is at stake here, the very existence of our
International Football Teams.
Former Scotland Boss Craig Brown has came out
publicly backing the campaign � who else has endorsed it?
The NoTeamGB.com campaign is a fans campaign, however we completely endorse
Craig Brown petition.
This is not an election looking for celebrity endorsements; this is a fight for
the future of our International Teams.
Michel Platini recently demanded Gordon Brown to
butt out of the Team GB argument � is this �Olympic Footabll Team� purely a
Political PR Stunt by the Westminster Government?
It is a commonly held belief that there is political pressure from both the UK
Government and the BOA being placed on the English FA to enter a Team as Team GB
into the football team. FC Britain does not exist. It has no home, no strip, no
manager, no players and certainly no fans.
Lord Coe, one of the biggest advocates of Team GB, recently admitted that he
couldn�t issue any guarantees that playing as Team GB would not affect the
future of our international football teams.
Why are the BOA, the FA and other bodies that back the idea of a Team GB � so
hell bent on doing it even without the backing of the other Home Nations?
The Olympic credo is;
�The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part,
just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.
The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well�
The BOA has lost its way and forgotten that the Olympics is about participation,
not winning at any cost. It�s simply about medals, sponsorship and money these
days. Just ask the athletes from sports that didn�t do so well in 2008 that have
just had their budgets slashed. Just ask all the good causes throughout Great
Britain that have had lottery money taken from them to support this London
Olympics. In a country where football is the most popular sport, it is seen as
guaranteed source of income for the 2012 Olympics and the BOA and Olympic
Organising Committee remain keen to exploit this.
The BOA has insisted that it will enter a team for 2012 Olympics, however, this
is not simply �lacking endorsement� from the SFA, FAW and the IFA, it is
absolutely opposed to the very public and unequivocal stance taken by all three
associations and neither the BOA, The FA or the UK Government has any moral or
governance right to do so.
The BOA and UK Government are looking for guarantees and special dispensation
from FIFA for Team GB to take part. The sensible way forward would be to look
for special dispensation from the IOC to allow all 4 home nations to enter the
football team under their own banner. This would create even more of the much
needed revenue and TV interest which seems to be at the heart of this relentless
campaign.
If the BOA are determined to bend existing rules to ensure a British footballing
presence, then it would seem logical for them to bend the IOC rules, and not
those of a completely separate organisation (FIFA) over which they have no
control, influence or governance and which places the future of all four home
nations at risk for the sake of a one off under 23 tournament which remains a
nonentity in the world of football.
Tell us a bit more about the �No Team GB� Campaign � maximum 1500 words.
The �No Team GB� campaign started in May 2006 as a result of the inaugural
meeting at Easter Road, Edinburgh of the Scottish, English, Welsh and Northern
Ireland official Fans Groups.
Back in 2006 it was comments from Lord Coe and Simon Clegg that mainly appeared
in the newspapers and internet, stating a GB football team would be entered in
2012 and possibly 2008. It was increasingly difficult to get responses printed
from the NoTeamGB.com campaign, especially on the BBC, the Olympic broadcaster.
Political interference:
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has had meetings with FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter, in
a bid to keep up the pressure on the 3 dissenting associations. Secretary of
State for Scotland, Jim Murphy MP, had a meeting with FIFA�s Jerome Valcke
without inviting or even talking to the SFA, FAW and IFA first.
In a surprise development, the SFA, FAW and IFA released a joint letter to the
BOA, FIFA, the UK Government stating in no uncertain terms that they will be
having nothing to do with an Olympic team.
The Fans of all 4 countries are behind this decision
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