The unlikely lads. British footballers could yet become Olympic heroes

Could this over-paid motley crew really end up on the podium?

Football and the Olympics are an uneasy fit at the best of times. This can be seen by the fact that so many tickets were impossible to shift for this year's Olympics football tournament and the way that, unlike every other sport at London 2012, the organisers have decided to take the tournament around the whole of Great Britain, including Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle and, somewhat surprisingly, Coventry. In fact, the confusion over rules in the Olympic tournament back in the 1920s led to the creation of the football World Cup, which launched in 1930, and ever since the Olympic football tournament has lived an unusual existence, particularly in the way it is perceived in England. 

So when Great Britain progressed last night as group winners, after defeating a talented but disappointing Uruguay side 1-0 at the Millennium Stadium, it came as something of a surprise as a team who hadn't competed in the Olympics tournament since 1960 were suddenly very much in the running for a medal. The controversy of a Team GB football team competing stems from the fact that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have their own football governing bodies, meaning they are on equal footing as other independent countries within UEFA and FIFA and even have a disproportional say within IFAB, football's rule-making body, due to the way the organisation was originally set up (each home nation has one vote each, and the rest of FIFA has only four votes, meaning it is a 50/50 split between the UK and the rest of the world). Proud Scotsmen, Welshmen and Irishmen have opposed the existence of a GB football team due to fear of losing the privileges enjoyed as individual nations, and the thought of a Great Britain team replacing the national teams of the home nations in all football competitions. However, with host status granting Great Britain a place in the finals, the FA took the initiative and the Team GB football team was re-formed albeit with no Scots or Irishmen eventually selected.

But British football does have a history within the Olympics. A team representing England won gold in 1908, in the days when all Olympic footballers had to be amateurs. The English even retained the crown in 1912. Uruguay emerged as a force in the 1920s and their back-to-back successes in 1924 and 1928, in front of huge crowds, led to them hosting and winning the inaugural World Cup in 1930 (a forerunner to Spain's recent triple tournament success). This lead to the football being dropped for 1932 but Adolf Hitler's Nazi government ensured that it returned to the 1936 Berlin Games where they needed to attract large crowd. At this infamous Olympics, a Great Britain side featured and included 13 Englishmen, five Scots, two Welshmen and two Northern Irishmen. The team went out to Poland in the quarter-finals but they returned after World War II, where they were managed by Manchester United boss Matt Busby. But by the 1960s Britain started failing to qualify and in 1974 the FA realised that as all footballers in the country were paid to some extent, there were no amateurs left to compete and GB stopped entering.

Rule changes in the 1980s led to the tournament which we have today, no longer amateur but an under-23 competition. The addition of three overage players was later included in the rules and the tournament has gained popularity in many parts of the world, including South America and Africa. This explains why Brazil are so desperate to win this tournament, and with the premature departure of a shockingly out-of-form Spain under-23 side, are the strong favourites. Brazil have won five World Cups and plenty of Copa Americas so the Olympics is the only obvious gaping hole in their trophy cabinet. As well as this, they are hosting the 2014 World Cup, so without qualification matches, they need all the competitive action they can get. Mano Menezes, the boss of the senior Brazil side, is at the helm in this competition and is attempting to groom Neymar, Oscar, Rafael and co. into a side capable of rivalling the sides of Ronaldo, Pele, Zico and Romario that have starred in the past. If he fails to take the gold, it is rumoured he will be sacked.

While Great Britain are likely to meet Brazil in the semi-finals, should they overcome a beatable South Korea side on Saturday, Stuart Pearce's charges should certainly be targeting a medal. Brazil have looked vulnerable defensively, letting in two goals to Egypt and one to Belarus whereas the British have been solid at the back. Crucially, even if the hosts fail to topple the South Americans, a play-off will allow the opportunity to claim a bronze medal. Jack Butland, the young Birmingham City goalkeeper has starred in goal, and in front of him Steven Caulker and Micah Richards have provided a reliable back line. The experience of captain Ryan Giggs has been priceless and his young Manchester United team-mate Tom Cleverley is showing the talent he displayed briefly last season before injury struck. With Daniel Sturridge, Scott Sinclair and Craig Bellamy looking incisive at the sharp end of the pitch, there is no reason why this Great Britain side can take one of the least-expected medals of the Games back to the Team GB camp. Due to the qualification system in place, Great Britain won't ever be able to compete in the Olympics again unless they are hosting, or the rules radically change. But if they finish on the podium this time, it would have been worth all the effort and there will be plenty of cries for a repeat.

There's plenty more where this came from. The Search for Excellence will be back tomorrow with the second installment of the Friday Feeling! And don't even think about not following James on Twitter @TSFE2012 !