My thoughts on the UK Olympic team

This week, there’s more talk of the UK fielding an Olympic football side at the 2012 Games in London. The idea, which Wales and Scotland have opposed because of worries about long-term effects on their football independence, seems to be going ahead at least partially on the strength of one Sir Alex Ferguson, who is reportedly interested in adding an Olympic medal to his sizable trophy case.

I have mixed feelings about this, as I expect do many Scots and Scotland supporters. On one hand, does it make any sense for London to host the Olympics, and for the most popular sport in England not to be represented? It’s their national sport, and ours, and it would be a shame if all of Britain was left out, considering how mad the whole island is for the game.

On the other hand, Scotland has been moving in the direction of more and more independence from the UK. (Devolved government, the rise of the SNP, etc.) The last thing we need is a threat to the one aspect of Scotland that has been completely free of the English for over a century – our football. There are also a number of other concerns for Scots, such as whether any Scottish players would even be included in a UK Olympic side. Sir Alex is, of course, Scottish himself, but he is also a Premiership coach, who sees Premiership players week in and week out. Aside from Alan Hutton and Craig Gordon, we have no starting players in the English top flight.

There are a number of solutions to this problem. The first, which probably will not happen before 2012, is full Scottish independence. I’m not saying that I’m with the SNP completely on this – there are issues to work out, but I will say it takes care of any question of sporting independence. A more realistic short-term answer is for FIFA and the various FAs to get together and sign an official document guaranteeing the sovereignty of Scottish and Welsh football in perpetuity. Even if this happens, though, I’ve seen nothing to make me believe that the so-called UK football side will be anything but an England football side, with a Union Jack instead of a St. George’s cross on the shirt.