World NewsEngland Women To Miss Olympics |
The decision to block the English women's football team representing Britain in the Beijing Olympics next summer is a "national scandal", Parliament will be told tomorrow.
Former sports minister Richard Caborn has instigated an adjournment debate where he will blast the football associations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for refusing to allow a British women's team at the Games.England qualified for the Olympics through their World Cup campaign in September but FIFA said they could only take part in Beijing if all four home nations were in agreement.
Caborn told PA Sport: "I'm going to raise this because I think it is a national scandal.
"They have been denied this fantastic opportunity to perform on the Olympic stage solely because of the self-interest of three governing bodies.
"Questions have to be asked whether this was done just to protect their blazer brigades. It is a disgrace that they could not agree among themselves."
Caborn revealed he had helped the FA obtain guarantees from FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke for the England women's team to represent Britain in Beijing if all the associations were in agreement.
He added: "FIFA were happy for it either to be an English team or with representatives from other associations so long as everyone is in agreement.
"So these people have not only denied English athletes this opportunity they have also done this to their own women footballers.
"That these nearly all-male organisations can deny their women footballers the chance to play in the Olympics is beyond belief."
The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FAs have said they do not want any involvement in British Olympic teams because they feared it could lead to the end of their separate identity on world football's governing body at some time in the future.
A similar problem is looming over the football teams at the London 2012 Olympics, however there are two British teams entered in the Paralympics to take place in Beijing next year.
Copyright (c) 2009 Press Association
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