So with the Olympics being a once in a lifetime opportunity for players, should the clubs stand in their way if they wanted to play? This is a spectacle not just because it's an Olympics and it's a home Olympics, but because GB will never have another football team represent them at any games, ever. I hear this morning that Bale, a player that showed great interest in playing before a team was picked, a player that said openly before the WFA had even agreed to let their players play, is now fit enough to play a role at their pre season in U.S.A after "reported" back problems in the close season. I'm sure there are others but can't think of them off the top of my head.

The olympics is meant to be an amateur competition so why have pro footballers in it?

What does an olympic medal mean in comparison to a Euro, WC, or domestic championship medal? Fucking nothing at all, plus the Euro sides are already at an immediate disadvantage as they're fielding a third XI so it's not even a level playing field.

Clubs pay their wages and if they get injured in some nonsense olympic game then it's totally out of order to their club and it's supporters.

Basically, it's a load of nonsense! Third rate teams playing - it's a complete load of crap, and it makes a mockery of the game! It shouldn't even be an Olympic sport.

Also, will the team that wins the Olympic bronze in football be pleased?

Bill Shankly said "If you're first, you're first. If you're second, you're nothing!"

I agree the pro game is too strong to warrant an olympic side, it doesn't mean anything winning it because it's not even close to the highest level team selection. It's like a C list world cup or something, totally pointless.

You could then say the same about Friendlies and some qualifiers. To a player I would imagine any competition at international level is a competition they would want to win. I don't see an Olympic medal as anything less than a Euros medal.

There wll be plenty of Pros there. Not just the GB team. Brazils team sheet looks wicked.

If I had a once in a lifetime op to win a medal that no other player will ever win again, I'd be pissed if i was told that I can't go and compete.

Wouldn't that be the case where there is a pro league in any of the sports that are featuring? Which would be pretty much all of them. Why should football be any different. Bit elitist isn't it?

Bale also has fuck all chance of winning anything with Wales.

I don't agree there either. There will be plenty of very decent young players there.

I think the same should be said for any of the Team GB players. None of the home countries are likely to win a major tournament in our lifetime.

No because the level of football in the prem, la liga etc. is worlds above some cobbled together last minute "international" side featuring most country's reserves.


So what, Heskey is a pro, they're second tier pros by and large and you can't pretend that beating some of the teams in the olympics would be a major achievement or anything to go mental about. If anything it devalues international football tournaments which we really don't need.

Yeh you're right, I guess I should have said Bale has fuck all chance of ever playing in a tournament with Wales!

Yes!

International football is dying out anyway there's too much money and glory in the pro game these days for it to matter, it's only every couple of years and the corruption and controversy surrounding FIFA puts a lot of people off anyway. The olympics is an amateur competition it's not supposed to encompass professional sportsmen so why are they even playing football? It just reaks of extra income and drumming up interest in a popular sport while going against the very foundation of the games.

I think you are missing my point Funks. You are looking at this from a spectators POV. I'm asking that if a player wants to be involved, should he be stopped because it's not the two normal internationals.


Players like Neymar, Leandro Damiao, Lucas Moura, Hulk, Oscar, and that's just the Brazilians.
Spain have Alba, Romeu, Mata, Martinez.

I don't think the top games will be bad at all.

Football is probably the only sport I will bother watching in the whole thing.

Yes because it's not an accepted football tournament with any kudos at all and clubs pay extortionate wages and have a duty to the fans to protect the players from burn out and injury so they can turn out for the fans every week and bring success to the club they are contracted to!


The south americans don't play the euros and probably need the money so it's fair game that they'd play a strong squad.

As for Spain, none of those players featured prominently at the euros if at all and have hardly even played for Spain. If Mata breaks his leg and we lose him for the season I will be fucking pissed off to be honest.

It works ok in Boxing when you generally have the very young amateurs aged about 17-25 who will probably turn pro anyway but are using it as a platform to test themselves and maybe get a medal. The rules are different as well and it's a good chance for them. Maybe the football should be players who are still aged 17-20 and are promising youngsters rather than pros who don't quite cut the main squad for internationals?

I believe it would work if it were purely for under 21 players...

has anyone seen this in the Sun? What the fuck has it got to do with that scouse cunt. Since not being selected Beckham has been going about with a sour face looking for sympathy....it's not about him, its about the team.

thesun.co.uk

The first international tournaments organised by FIFA (arguably the forerunner to the World Cup) were as part of the Olympic games linky.

So there is more than a valid argument to say that football has every right to be in the olympics.

The 'amatuer' argument with respect to athletes competing in the olympics really doesn't hold much water anymore given the levels of sponsorship etc now in sport. To the best of my knowledge the days of Olympic athletes having a 'day job' are long gone!

To ensure the soccer part of the Olympics has some level of 'handicap' (I'm not sure what the right word is so you guys can argue the semantics) the teams competing must be made up mainly of players under a certain age (I think it is 23) with a maximum of only 3 players allowed in the team over that age (hence the recent debacle about David Beckham not being selected).

Personally, I think it is extremely interesting to see a team GB football squad and think it is a pity we aren't able to field a full seniors version at every Olympics as I've always thought it would be very interesting to see. For example, how much better do you think the England squad would have been with Ryan Giggs tearing down the left in his hey day!