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Will England's David Beckham and Ashley Cole play for Team GB in 2012?
Scotland and Wales have reacted angrily to claims that their players could take part in a united Great Britain football team at the 2012 Olympics.The British Olympic Association said an "historic agreement" has been reached with the English Football Association.
But Welsh FA president Phil Pritchard said: "We're not part of any agreement. The FA have no authority to speak on our behalf, they do not represent us."
Scottish football officials were equally indignant about the BOA claim.
Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan claimed on Monday that there is "absolutely no appetite" for his players to take part.
And in the wake of the BOA announcement he wrote on social networking site Twitter: "Statement due shortly. No historic agreement on Team GB. Legally we cannot stop players being selected. Totally misleading comments from BOA."
Analysis
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The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FAs remain opposed to a GB team, fearing it will damage their autonomy at Fifa, despite repeated re-assurances to the contrary from the World Governing Body. They had already agreed not to stand in the way of the English FA in putting teams forward. The BOA says Olympic selection criteria must be non-discriminatory, and that the English FA is therefore mandated to pick any player they chose. It will then be up to any players who may be selected from the other home nations to decide if they want to take part, mindful of the determined opposition from their own associations
Football Association of Wales chief executive Jonathan Ford said: "The FAW can confirm that no agreement has been reached with regards Team GB and the 2012 London Olympics as announced by the BOA.
"The FAW cannot support nor formally endorse the approach that has been proposed by the Football Association. This has been made clear in communications with the FA."
Jim Boyce, Britain's Fifa vice-president and former president of the Irish FA, said he did not know of any agreement.
"The three associations [Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland] have made it clear to me they will not be changing their decision about a British Olympic team and I know nothing about any agreement," said Boyce.
The BOA's statement said that there would be a men's team at 2012 and, for the first time, a women's GB side at the Olympics.
It added that all home nations were behind the move to field a GB team made up of players from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
"The FA has consulted with its partner associations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in developing the player-selection criteria and timeline," read the statement.
"All four associations have received a written assurance from the secretary general of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (Fifa), the international federation for football, that participation in the 2012 Olympic football tournament will in no way compromise their autonomy and independence for other Fifa-sanctioned tournaments, nor will it have any impact on their positions of leadership within the Fifa governance structure."
The BOA statement went on to detail how the men's squad would be made up, explaining that it would comprise of 18 players - 15 under-23s and three 'open age' players, while there would be no age restrictions upon the women's team.
It added that the process of selecting players would begin later this year, while "an announcement of the managers for both Team GB sides will be made in due course".
The last time Britain competed in an Olympic football event was in 1960, when the men's side failed to win a medal in Rome after beating Taiwan 3-2, drawing 1-1 with Italy and losing 4-3 to Brazil.
More to follow.
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