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There is currently no single United Kingdom national football team. Instead, the United Kingdom has four separate football teams, representing the different Home Nations of the UK: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
In the past, the United Kingdom did have a football team, which played friendly matches and took part in the Olympic Games. There is a proposal that a British national team be formed for the 2012 Olympics in London, and the possibility of a permanent United Kingdom national team is a perennial point of discussion.
Development
[編集]Football was codified in England, and there were representative international matches between England and Scotland as far back as 1872, before the sport spread to other parts of the world and became its most popular sport. The Home Nations' professional teams tended to play amongst themselves (England did not play opposition from outside the British Isles until 1908,[1] nor did Scotland until 1929),[2] and none of the four teams took part in a World Cup until 1950. This was partly because of insular attitudes of the home football associations, due to the Home Nations' perception of their superior ability until the Second World War.
England, being by far the largest of the Home Nations, have been the only team to have any major success internationally, winning the 1966 World Cup; Scotland have never progressed beyond the group stage of any international tournament, despite competing in final tournaments of seven World Cups and two European Championships. Northern Ireland have not qualified for a finals tournament since 1986, and Wales since 1958. This is sometimes raised as an argument in favour of a single United Kingdom national team, citing the advantages of being able to call upon an extended pool of players. Based on statistical analysis of recent matches, it has been estimated that a United Kingdom national team would have had a one-third greater chance of winning the 2006 World Cup than England did at the tournament's outset.[3] Opponents of the plan insist that the existing footballing identities of the fans of the Home Nations should not be sacrificed simply to stand a better chance of success.
Olympic team
[編集]Original team
[編集]In the past, there has been a United Kingdom team in the Olympic football tournament, though as the UK competes under the name of 'Great Britain and Northern Ireland' (usually shortened to 'Great Britain') at the Olympics, the football team is usually known as 'Great Britain' within this context.
The United Kingdom, then competing under the name 'Great Britain and Ireland', won the gold medal in the first official football tournament at the 1908 Games. These teams were predominantly made up of players from the English national amateur team, and were organised by the English Football Association. The UK has not competed in the Olympic football tournament since 1972, when they were knocked out in the qualifying rounds by Bulgaria. The last occasion when a United Kingdom team reached the Olympic finals was at the 1960 Games, and after the Football Association scrapped the distinction between professional and amateur players in 1974, no more UK Olympic teams were entered.
2012 Olympics
[編集]Since then, Olympic rules have been relaxed to allow professionals to take part, but there has been no return of a UK team. However, the issue has recently been raised as a result of London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, with a one-off Great Britain and Northern Ireland team being proposed for that tournament only. The proposal was supported enthusiastically by the English FA and the Irish FA (Northern Ireland's football body). However, the Scottish Football Association refused even to attend meetings at which the Home Nations were to discuss the possibility. At those meetings, the Football Association of Wales stressed it was strongly against the proposal, and, on December 6 2005, it was announced that the FAW Council had voted to withdraw from negotiations.[4] The FAs of England and Northern Ireland are likely to enter the team with or without the other two associations.[4]
Despite the opposition of two of the Home Nations' FAs, public opinion is in favour of the creation of a team for the 2012 Olympics. A recent survey of Scottish football fans claims that two-thirds would support a unified team being entered for 2012.[5]
Other Olympics
[編集]As no British team enters the UEFA Under-21 Championship, which functions as the European qualifying competition for the Olympics, it is thought that any team would be a one-off creation for the 2012 Olympics.[6] However, the British Olympic Association has refused to rule out the possibility of entry for the 2008 Games.[7]
Friendly results
[編集]In addition to matches at the Summer Olympics, the Home Nations have previously united to play three friendly internationals against 'Rest of Europe' representative sides. On all occasions, they included all four Home Nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Despite Northern Ireland's participation, all three matches were played under the name of 'Great Britain'.
- May 10 1947; Hampden Park, Glasgow: Great Britain 6-1 Rest of Europe
- August 13 1955; Windsor Park, Belfast: Great Britain 1-4 Rest of Europe
- April 28 1965; Victoria Ground, Stoke-on-Trent: Great Britain 4-6 Rest of Europe
Two other games were played between Wales and a team representing the rest of the United Kingdom, with players from England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. In both cases, the united team played under the name of 'Rest of the United Kingdom'.
- December 3 1951; Ninian Park, Cardiff: Wales 3-2 Rest of the United Kingdom
- July 21 1969; Ninian Park, Cardiff: Wales 0-1 Rest of the United Kingdom
Future prospects
[編集]Beyond the creation of a team to take part in the Olympics, there has been support, albeit rather limited, for the creation of a permanent British national team. Although often hypothetical in nature, such a proposal has been put forward by prominent government ministers, including the former Home Secretary, Jack Straw,[8] and the former Minister for Sport, the late Tony Banks.[9]
Many see the chance of a permanent British national team as being remote, with over 100 years of history standing behind the separate teams of the Home Nations. As well as being opposed by the Home Nations' football associations, serious doubts linger as to whether fans of the Home Nations could be expected to put behind them the intense and often bitter rivalries, which have occasionally spilled over into hooliganism, that have long existed between them.
In addition, a unified United Kingdom team would have repercussions on the continued existence of the four Home Nations' separate football associations, their separate league and cup competitions, and their representation on the International Football Association Board (which decides on the Laws of the Game).[9]
Recent proposals to reinstate the British Home Championship have been accepted in principle, but rejected on the grounds of fixture congestion.[10] The lack of opposition to the re-introduction of the Home Internationals indicates that none of the Home Nations will be inclined to create a permanent unified national side in the near future.
Notes
[編集]- ^ England international results. RSSSF. URL accessed 15 June 2006.
- ^ Scotland international results. RSSSF. URL accessed 15 June 2006.
- ^ "The Auld Opponent". The Times. 15 June 2006. URL accessed 15 June 2006.
- ^ a b "Wales oppose GB Olympic football". BBC. 6 December 2005. URL accessed 10 June 2006.
- ^ "Survey shows Scots back united Olympic team". Duncan Mackay, The Guardian. 20 October 2005. URL accessed 10 June 2006.
- ^ "FA to Press Ahead with Olympic Team". Yahoo!. 2 September 2005. URL accessed 8 June 2006.
- ^ "Britain looks to Beijing after Scotland's snub to 2012 Games". John Goodbody, The Times. 12 November 2005. URL accessed 10 June 2006.
- ^ "Red card for Straw's 'British team' idea". Alan Travis, The Guardian. 29 November 2000. URL accessed 10 June 2006.
- ^ a b "'Jerusalem' to spur England to Euro 2000 promised land". Ed Harris, Evening Standard. 8 May 2000. URL accessed 10 June 2006.
- ^ "Home Internationals unlikely - FA". Clive Lindsey, BBC. 10 February 2005. URL accessed 10 June 2006.
References
[編集]- England Player Honours - International Representative Teams. England Football Online. 14 February 2005. URL accessed 12 June 2006.
External links
[編集]- "Britain's Olympic past". The Football Association. 3 March 2004. URL accessed 12 June 2006.
- "FA eyes British football team". BBC. 15 May 2003. URL accessed 12 June 2006.