In case you're wondering how the BOA managed to announce an "historic agreement" over a GB Olympic football team that three of the four home associations were totally unaware of, the sequence of logic seems to go something like this...
1) The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish associations reluctantly agreed to a deal that allowed the English FA to organise a nominally "GB" team, on the understanding that it would be solely comprised of English players.
2) The BOA decided that it very much liked the first part of this agreement, but very much disliked the second part, and decreed that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish players must be considered for selection on the same basis as English players.
3) The English FA brazenly reneged on the deal with the other associations and accepted the BOA's decree.
4) The BOA interpreted the original deal as empowering the English FA to act on behalf of the other associations, and deemed that the FA's unilateral acceptance of the decree meant that the decision had by definition been taken "in consultation" with the SFA, FAW and IFA.
Sure, guys. I see no problem there whatsoever.
The BOA do, of course, have form on peddling their not-very-subtle British nationalist agenda at every opportunity, from the petty-minded banning of Scottish and Welsh athletes using their own national flags (even in conjunction with a Union Jack), to Simon Clegg's neanderthal longing to abolish dedicated Scottish funding bodies, to Craig Reedie's condescending claim that a unified British team at the Olympics achieves higher standards in athlete selection than any parochial Scottish team at the Commonwealth Games could possibly manage. Well, let's take that logic to its natural conclusion, Craig. Let's really "drive up standards" by abolishing the British Olympic team and having a unified European team instead. What's that, Craig? Not so keen on higher standards after all? Yup, I think we can safely assume it was British nationalism talking.
One of these days, someone is going to have to tap these people on the shoulder and remind them that their proper role is as sports administrators, not as modern day Canutes ordering the tide of resurgent Scottish and Welsh national identity to refrain from coming in.
Brazen imperialist apparatchiks strutting their stuff at the fag end of empire and "scoring more own goal" provocations and forgetful of the old maxim that pride comes before a fall ( so, hell mend them when it comes to pass).
ReplyDeleteOh well, the upside of all this is that if Scotland IS ever thrown out of international football tournaments even many diehard unionists will say enough is enough and ensure the country's reinstatement by voting for independence.
ReplyDeleteSnp slogan?
ReplyDeleteVote For An Independent Nation - Receive FREE a Guaranteed National Football Team !!!!
Agreed! Reading the full BOA statement, the most hilarious part is when Andy Hunt says this :
ReplyDelete"I want to express my appreciation to all four Football Associations for their recognition of just how meaningful it will be for Team GB to compete in football in London 2012."
Contrast that with the SFA's George Peat saying this :
"I am absolutely astounded. I know nothing about any such agreement. We want nothing to do with this tournament"
And then Hunt has the brass neck to go on the radio this morning and innocently claim there was nothing remotely misleading in what he had said!