Rob Earnshaw the Cardiff striker stated this week that players must think about Welsh football and the league’s future before they decide if they should compete at the 2012 London Olympics. This is born out of concern that even though FIFA has stated they will not judge any player’s who do choose to play, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland are worried that if they choose to play their team’s independent status will be damaged. This is the first time that Great Britain will play in the Olympics since 1960.
Earnshaw stated that Wales has been playing for some time and the aim of players should be to make sure that the team continues to survive.
The men’s Olympic team coach was announced to be Stuart Pearce this past Thursday and he plans to use players from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland at the 2012 Games in an effort to truly have a Great Britain Team. Players Joe Allenhave, Gareth Bale, and Aaron Ramsey have all stated that they would like to play for the team.
Earnshaw addressed this by stating that if the team is truly a Great Britain team and inclusion will not hurt any of the countries then it would not be a problem, but the concern is that they want to make sure that the Wales team sticks together forever because they are proud to be Welsh players playing for the country. He also added that it would be great for any player to get a chance to play in the Olympics.