FIFA eases Scots concerns over 2012 British football team

In a bid to ease nationalist worries, the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) has claimed the international image of the home nations will not be threatened by a British Olympic team.

FIFA has assured Scottish secretary of state Jim Murphy, that a one-off under-23 squad in 2012 would not impact the standings of the home teams, after the football governing bodies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all expressed opposition to a Great Britain (GB) team.

Mr Murphy stated that it was for the world of football to decide: “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, yesterday and told him about my concerns and the concerns that many Scots have.”

Mr Murphy added: "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."

A combined British team could jeopardise the status of individual nations within the governing body of football, FIFA. The Scottish Football Association (SFA) considers the proposal a threat.

A spokesperson for SFA said: “At some point there is a real danger that a precedent of a team GB will come back and threaten our status.”

Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP), Stuart McMillan, who is also a member of the Scottish Parliament's football team, raised comments made by FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

In March, Mr Blatter said that a GB team would broach questions about the privileges that the British associations have been given by the world body.

McMillan said: "This is not a guarantee that the independence of the SFA and the other three national associations in the UK will not be threatened by a single UK football Olympic team.

"It is not in the gift of officials, but all members of FIFA who could take away the SFA's independence."