Fanning The Olympic Flames

IT SAYS much about the ineptitude of our football administrators in the United Kingdom that, less than 200 days before the kick off in the Olympic Games football tournament, "Team UK" is totally disorganised.

Speaking as a Scottish nationalist (note the small n), I would far rather support a Scottish Olympic team, but, while I think I might well see one at the 2020 Olympics, I am not holding my breath. The reality is, there will be a Team GB football team in action this year, it apparently will be an all-UK one, and there will be Scots players in it.

I applaud the SFA's stance (thus far) on prefering not to get involved officially, since there could be implications for Scotland's footballing independence - but, their handling of the whole affair has been terrible. That said, the British Olympic Association has been dishonest, self-serving and short-sighted too. None of the administrators from the five parties involved - the four Home Nations' football associations and the BOA - has come out of this well.

But, if they move quickly, the mess can be sorted-out. IFAB, the International Football Associations Board, will meet in Cardiff in March. The high heid yins of the FA, FAW, IFA and SFA will be there, as will Herr Blatter, Monsieur Platini and the movers and shakers of the global game.

Here is an opportunity to get FIFA to make it clear, the independence of the four separate countries is, in football terms, secure. Given the way UEFA in particular has allowed so many "minnows" to enter the various UEFA competitions - San Marino, Andorra, Leichtenstein etc, they, the most-influential bloc within FIFA will not allow four of the oldest members, including one big beast -England, a middle-sized beast with a proud past - Scotland and a couple of long-established small beasts, to disappear and become one huge beats - a potential UKFA.

OK, worst-case scenario, one or maybe two of the four individual UK places on IFAB might have to be ceded to UEFA - but all four FAs would survive.

But, the Home Nations need to present a united front. They need to get together first and have a unified plan of action. The FA, for a start, should swallow its considerable pride and cede authority over the football team at this and future Olympics to a new UK Football Board (note, I say board rather than association) - specifically set-up to operate within the BOA. Olympic football can no longer be, as it has been since 1905 - England's ball game.

With that UKFB set-up, the four can speak with a single voice to FIFA. The three Celtic nations should point-out to England, under FIFA rules, they cannot, even with BOA backing, pick Northern Irish, Scottish or Welsh players for the London team, so, if they want their team in action in London - they had better get the UKFB up and running and onto the BOA.

They must then tell FIFA, we come together only for the Olympics, otherwise, we are four separate countries and we remain thus.

The three Celtic nations, and in particular Scotland, did themselves no favours when they said NO to player participation, but YES to making Hampden available for games.

Given the political realities of probable Scottish independence, this whole Olympic row will only last for this one Olympics, perhaps also, for Brazil 2016 - if Team GB does well - but, it needs sorting out and the IFAB conference in Cardiff is the single occasion on which all parties will be together.

Then, with the right result in Cardiff, Stewart Pearce and Hope Powell can get their squads together and organise the warm-up games they will need.

The right Team GB squad would, given England's Euro 2012 commitments, have a strong Scottish and Welsh core, would have broad public backing and could do well. The whole thing so far has been a cock-up which reflects well on nobody. Time to do the British thing, muddle through somehow and win.

The independence of the four international teams is important, but, so too is a good performance as host nation in London. It has been a shambles so far, but, it can still be sorted-out - if the "blazers" get their act together - NOW.