Kim Little believes that she will not be a hindrance to the international football future of soccer in Scotland, but instead she will end up helping out Team GB in their football tournament and help the image of football overall.
The 22 year old midfielder decided to take her spot in the Olympic team despite the fact that the SFA asked her not to do so. This is due to a political battle that has brewed up over her inclusion on the Great Britain team given the fact that she plays for Scotland. However, Little is not worried about all of the politics of her inclusion and is instead focused on the game ahead of her. The SFA is worried that some players may threaten their home nation’s current FIFA independent status.
Little is one of the two Scottish women that will play for the Team GB women’s squad. Also on the team from Scotland is Ifeoma Dieke. According to Little, she plans to use what she learns while on the international team to help benefit her home team and help Scotland reach an international tournament finals competition. Scotland has not yet made it to an international final match.
The Scotland squad is hoping that next year they will be able to take it up a notch and reach the Sweden Uefa Women’s Euro finals. If they do not make it next year they may have a better chance coming up as the Canada World Cup scheduled for 2015 will mark the start of an increase in finalists with 24 teams allowed to compete for the final match privilege. Little went on to comment that it is Scotland’s target to get this far and the Olympics will only help Little and Ifoema bring it up to that level.
Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary, has urged Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales not to boycott, at the London 2012 Olympics, the Great Britain football team. Jonathan Ford the chief executive of the Football Association of Wales says by refusing to let players compete he is protecting the FAW’s independence even though Sepp Blatter, Fifa president has assured their independence would not be threatened.