IFA still cold on Olympic Gold
Thursday, 20 November 2008
PRESIDENT of the Irish Football Association, Raymond Kennedy, has revealed to The Northern Constitution that the IFA still have no intention of becoming involved with a 2012 Team GB football team, after alleged assurances from world governing body Fifa that Team GB would not jeopardise the status of any home nation.
Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, said recently that he had spoken to Fifa's general secretary who told him the body was likely to view the Olympic competition as a 'one-off under-23 tournament'.
According to a report on the BBC website, Murphy said: "I'm a football fan, I'm a Scotland fan, as well as being the secretary of state and I share the concerns that many people had about the impact it might have on the Scottish national team.
That's why I met Jerome Valcke, the general secretary of Fifa, and told him about my concerns and the concerns that many Scots have. He confirmed that Fifa, of course who regulate football, that the executive will agree that this one-off under-23 tournament could take place and it will not jeopardise the status of any of the home nations and I think that's very welcome news."
However, Magilligan man Kennedy, spoke to The Northern Constitution on Friday at the Launch of the Football for peace programme in Donegal, and said that due to ever changing administrations throughout football bodies, no iron clad assurances could ever be made on the subject.
“ Nobody can make any assurances on the issue," he said, "It's all well and good to say that the British associations won't be affected now, but what about in 20 years from now? If we set the precedent and agree to forming a side for 2012, what's to say that the Fifa secretary general in 20 years from now will still be of the opinion that we should all have individual international status after combining for Olympic games?"
Mr. Kennedy added: "It's far too much of a risk to take on an issue that has become bigger than it should have, from the people I've talked to about Olympic football, it seems that not that many people watch it, and as a tournament it pales greatly in comparison to World Cups and European Championships.
“Not only that, it is a prejudiced competition due to the nature of it being for under 23's thanks to rulings about professionalism in Olympic sports. Last time I checked Rodger Federer was a professional and he is over the age of 23, so why are there restrictions on Football when there are none in other sports?"
