British national football team

United Kingdom
United Kingdom

Nickname (s)	Team GB
Association	British Olympic Association
Technical sponsor	adidas
Head coach	Stuart Pearce
captain	Ryan Giggs
FIFA code	GBR (It is the Olympic symbol for the United Kingdom , which is not a member of FIFA )
statistics
First international match United Kingdom 12-1 Sweden ( London , United Kingdom ; October 20, 1908)
Biggest win United Kingdom 12-1 Sweden ( London , United Kingdom ; Oct 20, 1908)
Biggest defeat Bulgaria 6-1 United Kingdom ( Melbourne , Australia ; Nov. 30, 1956)
Successes in tournaments
Olympic games gold 1908 gold 1912
(As of August 4, 2012)

A British national football team does not officially exist because of the traditional independence of the football associations of England , Northern Ireland , Scotland and Wales , but took part in the Olympic Games as an amateur team until 1972 and played several friendly games against selection teams from continental Europe in the post-war period . After a long break, a British team ( Team GB ), representing the United Kingdom , took part in the 2012 Olympic Games in London .

background

All four associations play their own championships and have their own national soccer team, which are authorized to compete independently of one another for European and world championships .

Since the International Olympic Committee, unlike FIFA and UEFA , only insists on one team per country, it is not possible for all four British national teams to take part in the Olympic Games.

The football competitions in London in 1908 and in Stockholm in 1912 were contested and won by the English amateur national team under the name United Kingdom. After that there was a British amateur national team until 1960, which represented the United Kingdom at the Olympic Games. 1964 to 1972, however, the British team could not qualify for the Olympic tournaments; from 1976 the United Kingdom waived participation.

Participation in the Summer Olympics

1908 in London	Olympic champion
1912 in Stockholm	Olympic champion
1920 in Antwerp	Preliminary round
1924 in Paris	not participated
1928 in Amsterdam	not participated
1936 in Berlin	Quarter finals
1948 in London	Fourth
1952 in Helsinki	qualification
1956 in Melbourne	Quarter finals
1960 in Rome	Preliminary round
1964 in Tokyo	not qualified
1968 in Mexico City	not qualified
1972 in Munich	not qualified
1976 to 2008	not participated
2012 in London	Quarter finals
2016 in Rio de Janeiro	not participated

Friendlies of the professional selection

In addition to the amateur selection of the four associations, there were a total of three friendly matches against national teams from the rest of Europe in the post-war period. Although Northern Irish players came in two games for use, the teams did not occur under the name United Kingdom , but under the name United Kingdom ( Great Britain on). The first game was played in Glasgow in 1947 on the occasion of the re-entry of the four British associations into FIFA (4: 1), the second on the 75th anniversary of the Northern Irish Association in 1955 in Belfast (1: 1). The third game took place in Stoke-on-Trent in 1965 (6-4).

Olympic Football Tournament in London 2012

The 2012 Olympic Games were held in London and there was a political desire for the host country to be represented at the tournament. The four football associations reacted differently to this proposal. While England and Northern Ireland agreed in principle, Wales acted rather negatively. The Scottish Football Association, on the other hand, strictly rejected a British professional team and did not take part in the relevant deliberations. It was feared that the formation of a British national team could weaken the special status of the then four British football associations.

In June 2011 it was finally decided that a British team would compete for both men and women, which should consist of all four associations. FIFA had previously given assurances that participation in the Olympic football tournament would have no effect on the autonomy and independence of the four British associations. The organization of the Team GB team was the responsibility of the English FA. Players who participated in the Euro 2012 should not be considered for the British Olympic team.

Squad

On July 2, 2012, Stuart Pearce named the 23-man squad. He took into account on the one hand English U-21 players and on the other hand some (partly older) Welsh players who had not yet participated in any European or World Cup finals. David Beckham , who had hoped for a nomination, was not nominated because he had campaigned in advance for the award of the Games to London. The squad's oldest player was Ryan Giggs , who made his last international match for Wales in 2007. With goalkeeper Jack Butland , the youngest player in the squad, a player from the English European Championship squad was also taken into account, but who was not used in the European Championship. In contrast to the women's team , no Northern Irish and Scottish players were taken into account.

Surname	Association before the start of the OS	birthday	Association	Games	Gates	OS games
goalkeeper
Jack Butland	Birmingham City	March 10, 1993	England	6 (U-21)	0	4th
Jason Steele	Middlesbrough FC	August 18, 1990	England	1 (U-21)	0	0
Defense
Ryan Bertrand	Chelsea FC	5th August 1989	England	16 (U-21)	0	3
Steven Caulker	Tottenham Hotspur	December 29, 1991	England	4 (U-21)	1	4th
Craig Dawson	West Bromwich Albion	May 6, 1990	England	7 (U-21)	4th	2
Micah Richards	Manchester City	June 24, 1988	England	13 (A), 15 (U-21)	1 (A), 3 (U-21)	4th
Danny Rose	Tottenham Hotspur	2nd July 1990	England	21 (U-21)	3	3
Neil Taylor	Swansea City	February 7, 1989	Wales	9	0	4th
James Tomkins	West Ham United	March 29, 1989	England	10 (U-21)	0	1
midfield
Joe Allen	Swansea City	March 14, 1990	Wales	8th	0	4th
Tom Cleverley	Manchester United	August 12, 1989	England	16 (U-21)	0	4th
Jack Cork	Southampton FC	June 25, 1989	England	13 (U-21)	0	3
Ryan Giggs	Manchester United	November 29, 1973	Wales	64	12	3
Aaron Ramsey	Arsenal FC	December 26, 1990	Wales	21st	5	4th
Scott Sinclair	Manchester City	March 26, 1989	England	7 (U-21)	1	3
attack
Craig Bellamy	Cardiff City	July 13, 1979	Wales	69	19th	4th
Marvin Sordell	Bolton Wanderers	February 17, 1991	England	7 (U-21)	2	2
Daniel Sturridge	Bolton Wanderers	September 1, 1989	England	2 (A), 15 (U-21)	4th	4th

Games

→ Main article : 2012 Summer Olympics / Football

For the Olympic Games, the United Kingdom was set as the group head of group A and Senegal, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates were drawn. Team GB was able to conclude the three group games with two wins and one draw and advanced to the quarter-finals as group winners. There it was only enough to draw against South Korea, so that it came to a penalty shoot-out , which the British team lost and thus continued the tradition of the English teams .

26th July 2012, 8:00 pm, group stage, Manchester, Old Trafford United Kingdom - Senegal 1: 1 (1: 0) 29 July 2012, 7:45 pm, group stage, London, Wembley Stadium United Kingdom - UA Emirates 3: 1 (1: 0) 1st August 2012, 7:45 pm, group stage, Cardiff, Millennium Stadium United Kingdom - Uruguay 1: 0 (0: 0) 4th August 2012, 7:30 pm, quarter finals, Cardiff, Millennium Stadium United Kingdom - South Korea 1: 1 n.V. (1: 1, 1: 1), 4: 5 i. E.

See also

• Football at the Olympics
• Football in the UK
• British women's national soccer team
• Irish National Football Team (IFA)

Web links

• The Football Association (Engl.)
• Scottish Football Association (Engl.)
• Football Association of Wales (Engl.)
• Irish Football Association (Engl.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Team GB decision reached. The Football Association, June 21, 2011, accessed August 22, 2012 . 
2. ^ England Player Honors - International Representative Teams. englandfootballonline.com, accessed April 25, 2012 . 
3. ↑ The FA has today clarified the Team GB selection policy. The Football Association, April 22, 2012, accessed August 22, 2012 . 
4. ↑ thefa.com: Pearce confirms line-up for London (Engl.)
5. ↑ FIFA.com: Beckham not nominated