A GB team???!! No chance!! Those idiots at FIFA would love to cut the number of European International teams down to a more 'managable' number. It would soon mean the end of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland,and England football teams. Anyway, Wales isn't even represented on the Union Jack, so sod em!!!! Tim Prydeinig??? Dim diolch!!! Fysa FIFA wrth eu boddau yn lleihau nifer y timoedd rhyngwladol Ewropeaidd. Buan iawn fysa timau pel droed Cymru, Yr Alban, Gogledd Iwerddon, a Lloegr yn diflannu! Bethbynnag, nid yw Cymru hyd yn oed yn cael ei chynrychioli ar fflag y Deyrnas Unedig!!! Felly, sticiwch eich tim lle tydy'r haul ddim yn tywynnu!!!!! CYMRU AM BYTH!!!! - Aled (Rhyl)

The whole Team GB idea is, unsurprisingly, an English one. I'm not one for unnecessarily having a dig at those to the East but in this instance, it's purely anything to get them more exposure, unintentionally to the detriment of the other Home Nations. The idea is totally unworkable. There could never be equal representation as the Celtic nations' at U23 level are shamefully bad whilst the English are reasonably good. It would be regularly 8+ English in a game. For those who think Britain=England and are saying "What's all the fuss about?" there would be no problems. One of my work colleagues (a Welshman) said after the Cyprus game 'If ever there was an argument for a British team it was that game. It's a tricky one because we're so desperate for success, many will feel that it's the best way to get it. I hope they're in the minority. When the Welsh FA said they'd boycott it, I thought that for once, I'm 100% aligned with FAW. Then, the next day, with all they dunderheaded idiocy I've come to expect from them, they issue a statement to the press saying that even though they're not going to be part of GB, they want some of the LONDON Olympics' football games to be hosted at the Millennium Stadium. Typical. - Richard Martin (SE Wales)

Not in favour of a GB team, everybody knows it would be made up predominately of players from over the border. Support for a Welsh football team is far greater than support for a GB football team. We should not give more ammo to the minority in FIFA who believe Wales should not be classed as a separate nation. - Mattie (Bethesda)

A GB team in the 2012 olympics is the thin end of the wedge, fifa have been at it for a while now and have tried to get the home nations to have only the one GB team,any involment in a GB team would only fuel there fire and would but our own long term existence in dought. I would go as far as to say it would be detremental to us not only as a footballing nation but also as a nation in general.What national anthem would they play if they were lucky enough to be on the madals podium "god save the queen" the same anthem as the english national team, and the union jack would be flying high with no welsh representation in it, in many parts of the world GB is seen as england and england as GB. We must say no loud and clear to the british olympic board to welsh involment in a GB team in 2012. - Richard (Pwllheli)

I can't see what Wales would gain by agreeing to this idea. At the moment, It's quite clear that there wouldn't be a lot of non-English players in this sort of side and deservedly so, maybe. I know 2012 might be some time away, but even with a few Welsh players in a 'British' team, I'd see it as a cheap way of getting our players into a big tournament. We could use that time to get things right for Wales - this must be the priority. I would rather see a Wales team competing in The Commonwealth Games if Football will be a sport at the 2010 Games! I put it to the F.A.W that they should listen to the supporters that regularly follow Wales and not of an 80 year old Brit ending his days in Llandudno. Following the reception that 'God Save the Queen' got at the England and N. Ireland matches, the whole debate should not be considered. - Llyr Huws (Gwynedd)

Please please please - NO NO NO We should be pushing for our own representation in all aspects of nationhood.(some even doubt that football should be in the Olympics) - D A Phillips (Mold)

Total non-starter.  No interest in this at all at all at all.  If the FAW agree to this, it will be the beginning of the end of our national side until/unless we achieve independence.  Should we manage to gain indepenence before 2012 the issue is a non-starter of course and we can then enter our own team- sounds good to me! - Meic Pierce Owen - (Ynys Mon exile on the Isle of Man)

Basically NO, NO, NO! I agree that it would be the thin end of the wedge. The ultimate plot of a single 'GB' team would simply result in the wiping off the map of Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland. To all intents and puropses, even though the official name would be 'GB', everyone around the world would call it England, England fans would call it England and the only difference would be that, every now and again, a decent Welsh, Scots or Northern Irish player would pop up to enhance the 'England' team and give it a better chance of winning something. I'd rather be a proud Welshman and support a Welsh team that never won anything than a 'GB' team that had a marginally better chance of winning something than an English team. If anything, in Olympic terms, we should be going in completely the opposite direction and have a separate Welsh Olympic team! After all, Wales has representation in practically every sport, so why not the Olympics (we compete in the Commonwealth games!) - Alun ( Carmarthen)

Wales must be involved in this one off opportunity. There is no sensible reason not to. If we do not then the WAF councillors will not be forgiven for their short sightedness and will be accused of only looking after themselves and not the football fans - Jeff Davies ( Brecon)

If the FAW feel that the status of the Welsh national football team would be in any jeopardy through participation in a GB team for the Olympics then they must stick to their guns and oppose Welsh involvement. Most people in England (including the media) and even the rest of Europe regard Britain and England as synonomous.  The FA (of England) are already in charge of arranging the GB football team for the London Olympics. The Olympic football competition is growing in stature and once the FA have sampled this competition will they be willing to let it go so easily? Sepp Blatter may have stated that the position of the home nations would be safe but we should remember that the football governing bodies have treated Wales with contempt in the past and Blatter himself is known for going back on his word. He famously promised a World Cup finals place to the Oceania teams only to deny them later. We are lucky to have our own team. Wales is not an independent country. So we must consider it a privilege rather than a right that we do have a recognised national team. The only Welsh involvement I'd like to see in Olympic football is in a Welsh team. - Rob (Mold, Flintshire)

I don't mean to sound nasty, but this idea should have been strangled at birth! It's not just a case of me not being able to support a 'GB' team, but that the idea of 'Great Britain' is now slowly coming apart, as self-government is progressed and the feeling of Wales, Scotlands, etc, being different to thew other parts of the UK (I call it that at a stretch!). This idea would only please English football fans, who know it would mostly be England represented in the team anyway! - David Rees (Llanbradach, Caerphilly)

There are so many reasons why it would be wrong for Welsh players to be involved in a GB team, it's difficult to know where to start.  Above all, what Welsh football needs to do is to provide opportunities for home-grown Welsh football talent to flourish and to help these talented players to progress their careers. A GB team is unlikely to provide many Welsh players with opportunities to play at a high level given that any GB team would inevitably be Anglo-centric. What would be far better is if a Welsh football team were to be entered into the Olympics and, in fact, while we're at it, why not provide our athletes with more opportunities to compete at the highest level and push for a Welsh Olympic team full stop (not just football but in all sports).  Imagine what an incentive this would be to aspiring young athletes in Wales. - James Thomas - (Flint)

Camgymeriad fasa cefnogi unrhyw ymgais i greu tim i gynrychioli Prydain ar unrhyw lefel. Ni faswn yn ymddiried mewn unrhyw addewidion a wneir nawr na fasa hyn yn effeithio annibyniaeth Cymru fel tim peldroed rhyngwladol. A tra dwi wrthi, ag am fod hwn yn cael ei yrru ymlaen i'r Gymdeithas, beth am gydnabyddiaeth swyddogol i'r Gymraeg hefyd, os gwelwch yn dda. - Dewi Jones - (Pwllheli)

Why should our players (if any) play for mainly england under a flag that does not even represent us - Gareth Jones (Llanelli)

Welsh participation in a GB Olympic football team would be a mistake - there are already countries abroad who resent Britain having four seperate FA's, and this in my mind would be tempting fate in the wrong direction. I simply do not trust Fifa with the future of Welsh football. An emphatic NO to a Great Britain football team! - D. Williams (Cardiff)

No way !! Not a chance !! Welsh not british !!- Kev (Gwynedd)

NO, britain does not compete in the football at the olympics so just because london has got it why should a team suddenly appear. its a worthless competition which can only do more harm than good for wales and scotland so good on the scots for nailing their colours to the mast now we just need the faw to join them. - Chris (Warwickshire)

Have nothing to do with GB team what will wales gain in the long run - Geraint Llewelyn (Cardiff)

Thank you ! / Diolch yn fawr !

Back to top