UK Football

By Mike Collett

GLENEAGLES, Scotland, March 9 (Reuters) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter has urged the four British associations to select only English players for their joint team at the 2012 London Olympics to avoid "endless problems" in the future.

Expressing a change of heart from his previous position, Blatter told reporters: "They should choose a solution which will not harm the special privileges they hold and should enter only a team composed of players from England.

"This will then not provoke a long and endless discussion on the four British associations."

British teams for all Olympic sports are theoretically made up of athletes from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, countries which have had a privileged position in the world of soccer for more than 60 years.

The four associations have individual seats on FIFA's rule-making International Football Association Board and one guaranteed vice-presidency position on FIFA's Executive Committee.

But the FIFA president said after the annual IFAB board meeting in Scotland that although he originally believed the British team could comprise players from all four countries, he is urging them to only select English players.

Blatter told Reuters: "Looking at the situation of 2012, I have had a discussion with the Scottish FA leadership and they have said they would not play in a combined team.

"I said that is the best thing for you to do. If you start to put together a combined team for the Olympic Games, the question will automatically come up that there are four different associations so how can they play in one team.

"If this is the case then why the hell do they have four associations and four votes and their own vice-presidency?.

"This will put into question all the privileges that the British associations were given by the Congress in 1946."

CHERISHED STATUS

Britain has not competed in the Olympic soccer tournament finals since 1960.

It last entered for the 1972 Olympics but was eliminated in the qualifiers. It has not taken part since because of fears that a combined team would open the door for the removal of the special status of the individual FAs, sanctioned by FIFA after World War Two.

Olympic qualification has been impossible in recent years because it is based on FIFA's under-21 competitions in which the four home nations compete individually.

With London hosting the 2012 Games, however, Britain gets automatic qualification. Although FIFA originally told British Olympic officials that a combined team can take part with no threat, Blatter has now advised them differently.

In 2005 FIFA confirmed in writing that as host nation they had to provide a team for the 2012 Olympics but that they would not lose the rights and privileges acquired back in 1946.

Blatter added: "There's no reason to change something that has been established for 62 years but you cannot have your cake and eat it.

"There is no danger of losing those privileges so long as you don't overdo it."

Olympic soccer, formerly an amateur event, is currently played between under-23 teams with three over-age players allowed.