Comments on: Who Wants to be British? http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2007/08/11/who-wants-to-be-british/ A soccer blog featuring essays, news and photography exploring soccer around the world Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:59:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ian http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2007/08/11/who-wants-to-be-british/comment-page-1/#comment-327 Ian Sun, 19 Aug 2007 17:52:21 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/2007/08/11/who-wants-to-be-british/#comment-327 Well, primarily, I think that the arguments against a British team at the 2012 are somewhat facile. There is no way on earth that FIFA or UEFA would force them to merge that national FAs. The way that things are going politically in Britain, it is more likely (if anything) that Wales and Scotland will be closer to full independence than they are now, and it would be political suicide for the authorities to force Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic Of Ireland or a supposed Great Britain team. What the authorities are scared of is, as you rightly point out, the loss of their automatic vice-presidential place at FIFA's top table. They're right to be scared of that loss. It is an anachronism dating back to when "Britannia ruled the waves". The UK associations are no more deserving than an automatic place at the top table than any other nation. The associations, of course, won't get much public sympathy with that argument, so they whip up a bit of nationalistic fervour instead. My personal viewpoint is that if they don't want to get involved, they don't have to. The SFA and FAW seem to be quite happy to take the money from Hampden Park and the Millennium Stadium being used as venues for the Olympic football competition, though. Well, primarily, I think that the arguments against a British team at the 2012 are somewhat facile. There is no way on earth that FIFA or UEFA would force them to merge that national FAs. The way that things are going politically in Britain, it is more likely (if anything) that Wales and Scotland will be closer to full independence than they are now, and it would be political suicide for the authorities to force Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic Of Ireland or a supposed Great Britain team.

What the authorities are scared of is, as you rightly point out, the loss of their automatic vice-presidential place at FIFA’s top table. They’re right to be scared of that loss. It is an anachronism dating back to when “Britannia ruled the waves”. The UK associations are no more deserving than an automatic place at the top table than any other nation. The associations, of course, won’t get much public sympathy with that argument, so they whip up a bit of nationalistic fervour instead.

My personal viewpoint is that if they don’t want to get involved, they don’t have to. The SFA and FAW seem to be quite happy to take the money from Hampden Park and the Millennium Stadium being used as venues for the Olympic football competition, though.

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