• London Olympics 2012

Olympic Great Britain football team could be scrapped

Harry Redknapp has been linked with the Great Britain coaching role at the London 2012 Olympics © Getty Images

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The Great Britain Olympic football team may be forced to withdraw from the 2012 London Olympics completely - if the FA board cannot come to a solution to the problems of fielding a side.

It has been widely expected that Great Britain would field a combined team for the first time in Olympic history, but ESPNsoccernet has been told of the enormous problems in keeping the players' clubs happy and the difficulties in finding a suitable solution.

"The big problem is that the European clubs do not want their players taking part in both the European Championships and the Olympics in the same summer,'' an FA insider told ESPNsoccernet.

"If players are given the choice, they are going to choose the European Championships. There is a move from the clubs to persuade most, if not all, of the major European nations to withdraw from the Olympics, and it might be that there is no suitable solution to how a GB team can take part either.

"Not only would the best players be required for the European Championships, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants a GB team, and as yet only England are willing to put out a team, but there is no sign of Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland following suit.

"It is possible that England could field its very successful England Under-19 team, but the big question is whether the IOC would allow it. The strongest teams will come from Africa and the Middle East, and there is a double-edged sword here. England have a good chance of winning, but if they didn't, it would be embarrassing.

"It isn't going to be much of an Olympic football tournament if Spain, Germany, Italy and France pull out and England along with them."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.