The danger of the end of a Welsh Football team in favour of Team GB seems to have risen again but from another sport.
Due to the success of the London 2012 Olympic bid, the United Kingdom gained the right to enter a team in the football tournament as host nation.] The British Olympic Association (BOA) stated it would enter a football team,[5] but the Scottish Football Association (SFA) refused even to attend meetings at which the Home Nations were to discuss the possibility[34] and the Football Association of Wales (FAW) withdrew from the negotiations.[35] The Irish Football Association (representing Northern Ireland) stated in October 2007 that they would not take part in a unified team, leaving the Football Association (England) as the only association willing to take part. The SFA's opposition to the plans were rooted primarily in the fear that the Home Nations would be forced to field a combined team in all competitions. This would mean the loss of the special status of the Home Nations, established under FIFA's constitution.Now
The Rugby Football Union is considering scrapping the England sevens team in favour of a Great Britain side because of its financial problems.
The RFU is in the midst of cost-cutting because of lower than expected revenues, resulting in more than 60 staff being made redundant in 2018.
One solution is to combine with Wales and Scotland to form a GB side on a permanent basis, as per the Olympics.
"The sevens programme is one option we are looking at," a spokeswoman said.
"Moving to a Team GB model makes sense given that sevens is an Olympic sport."
Any change would affect the men's and women's teams.
"We have been very clear for some time that we need to cut costs in 2019-2020 as our revenues have not risen in line with our original forecasts," the spokeswoman added.
"There are a broad range of options under discussion across the professional game, the community game, and our general overheads.
"Any budget cuts in 2019-2020 come after years of record investment in the professional and community game."
We can only wonder that the RFU of England have even considered contacting the other "Home Nations" or in their arrogance like the English FA believe that if they want a team GB that is what we get.
It shows the danger of the whole Team GB scenario that once it is established in a sport it will prove to be difficult to argue against its continuation
A Team GB sevens also presents another huge problem.
While England was the team that qualified Great Britain for the Olympics, the Great Britain national rugby sevens team was able to select players from Wales and Scotland as well as England similar to the British and Irish Lions in rugby union.]Northern Irish players according to the British Olympic Association's rules as British citizens would have been eligible to play for Great Britain; however the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) demanded that they only play for the Ireland national rugby sevens team as rugby in Ireland is organised on an All-Ireland basis. However, it was stated that Northern Irish and Ulster contracted players could legally challenge that determination, particularly if Ireland failed to qualify.
Because sevens is not a major sport it largely slipped under the Radar when a team GB under the Radar for the last 2016 Olympics , but i suspect that the recent announcement will provoke a rather larger reaction.
We must end all this team GB nonsense in all team sports where separate national teams exist.
Either we bow to English pressure and end our Welsh identity in both Rugby and Soccer or we do not create an artificial GB side in other competitions.
Of course for Wales and Scotland Independence will solve the problem for ever, as for Northern Ireland then i think that even the most die-hard unionist , would find it hard to not be part of a successful Irish side.
It is hard not to be crudely nationalistic about this , but it seems that in order for England to reach sporting success they think that they can achieve this through a team GB in which they know they will be seen to be the actual nation taking part and Wales, Scotland and Ireland only providing a few players to boost their chances.
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