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London 2012: No Scotland or N Ireland in Olympic football squad
There will be no Scottish or Northern Irish players in the men's British Olympic football squad when it is announced on Monday.
BBC Scotland has learned that manager Stuart Pearce will list 18 players from England and Wales.
Fifteen of the squad must be under 23, with Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards the three permitted overage players.
None of the England players at Euro 2012 were considered.
Four reserve players will also be put on stand-by, should anyone withdraw from the squad.
There were Scots, including Steven Fletcher and Barry Bannan, on Pearce's shortlist of 35 players.
The Scottish Football Association, along with their Northern Irish and Welsh counterparts, have taken no direct involvement with Team GB and have made it clear they do not want their players involved for fear of risking their countries' separate identities in world football.
But they cannot block players from participating.
The women's football squad was named earlier this week , with Scottish duo Ifeoma Dieke and Kim Little the only non-English players selected.
The men's Team GB were drawn in Group A at London 2012 alongside Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates.
They begin their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July before facing the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July, and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August.
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Comment number 872.
kardiffblooze30th June 2012 - 13:21
It's disappointing that there are no Scots and Northern Irish. If Britain and the Republic of Ireland can come together every four years in the Lions, why is it so difficult for a one off football tournament?
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Comment number 828.
VeryCleverName30th June 2012 - 12:08
All Olympic athletes should be picked on talent not nationality. Think about the 4x100m relay team, the four fastest athletes are chosen to compete. People would consider it ridiculous if all the nations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland had to be represented - the fastest Welsh, Northern Irish, Scottish and English sprinter to make up the relay team of four.
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Comment number 319.
dubnord29th June 2012 - 23:23
As a Northern Ireland fan I'm not surprised or bothered really. Our players aren't good enough, we are a small nation and we've a small enough pool to pick from as it is. To just have players playing in the Premiership is an achievement. Apart from Chris Brunt or Jonny Evans none of our players would have been anywhere near good enough to make it. We're not Brazil, We're Northern Ireland.
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Comment number 247.
Gough37629th June 2012 - 22:55
Even though the team may be better with simply just English (and a welsh) players, as a Scot I feel like were being not incuded in the games in a way. The games come to this country once in a lifetime and i just feel they should have incuded more of the nation in the football, which a lot of the nation would have been interested in. I now have no interest in the outcome of team GBs ventures.
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Comment number 208.
markdoncaster29th June 2012 - 22:31
Its swings and roundabouts,if there was a regular GB football team they would be a time when the squad would have a few scottish players. Its about time we had a permanent GB team,germany or america don't seperate their states. We would have a better chance of winning something and realistically wales,N.I. and scotland will never win the world cup.
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