Skip to content

Olympics: Lord Cole rules out British men's football team for Rio 2016

Lord Coe says it is unlikely there will Team GB in Rio in two years time.
Image: Lord Coe says it is unlikely there will Team GB in Rio in two years time.

Sebastian Coe has written off the chance a British men's football team playing at the Rio 2016 Olympics but has raised the possibility of a women's team doing so again.

Britain did field football teams at London 2012 but without any Scots or Northern Irish players in the men's side following opposition from the Scottish and Irish FAs.

The men's side featuring the like of Ryan Giggs, Aaron Ramsey and DanielSturridge went out in the quarter-finals on penalties against South Korea.

Lord Coe, chairman of the British Olympic Association, said the body was working under the assumption there would be no men's team in 2016 given the difficulties encountered in the run-up to London.

Speaking at the Securing Sport conference in London, Coe said the chances of a

British men's team in Rio were "unlikely".

He added: "It's just in the 'hard' basket. Possibly a women's team but I would rather assume that, operationally, that's not going to happen in terms of the men's team.

"Possibly with (the) women's (team), we've still got some discussions.

"But certainly, the men's team, I'm not sure I have the will to live through that process again."

The women's 2012 squad featured two Scots but the rest of the players were English. They lost to Canada 2-0 in the quarter-finals.

It was the first time Britain had had football teams in the Games since 1960.

The issue is a sensitive one as the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Fas fear participation could threaten their individual status within FIFA.

Around Sky