UK Olympic Team Gets Scudamore's Backing

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has backed the idea of a Great Britain football team entering the 2012 Olympics and hinted the organisation would be prepared to delay the start of the season to avoid a clash with the London Games.

The Premier League ran a positive advertising campaign throughout the successful bid process and chairman Dave Richards actively lobbied on behalf of Sebastian Coe and his bid team.

Now the Games have been secured, arguments are raging over whether Britain should enter a soccer side, something they have not done in recent times because it may compromise the individual status of the home nations within FIFA.

Although the Welsh, Northern Irish and English Football Associations have signalled their willingness to join forces, the Scots remain against the plan.

However, Scudamore, whose organisation would supply most of the players for the Under-23 competition, claimed a British team should be entered.

"I would like to see a British team," he said. "Ultimately, it is not my decision but the idea of the Olympic Games being held in the UK, with soccer being played in it, and no British team in it would seem very odd."