by Simon Wright

Created on: November 03, 2011

Association football originated in Britain, with the first ever international match being played out between Scotland and England in 1872. By 1883 an annual international tournament (called the British Home Championship) had sprung up which pitted the four nations of the United Kingdom against each other. Those nations were England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

I mention this history because it helps to explain why England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland play as separate nations despite all being part of the United Kingdom. Incidentally, Ireland (having originally played as one team) splintered into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland sits outside the United Kingdom. The right of the four home nations to continue as separate entities is enshrined in the laws of the game but there are concerns (mainly from the three Celtic nations) that FIFA, the sport’s governing body, might attempt to force the UK into fielding one single team.

It is this concern over loss of independence that has caused the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish Football Associations to state their opposition to any of their players accepting a call up to the Olympic Team GB squad. There is a strong likelihood, however, that some non English players will accept a place on the Olympic soccer team for the 2012 Games. Gareth Bale (of Wales) was recently pictured in a Team GB strip.

The strong opposition amongst the Celtic nations to the idea of one United Kingdom team reflects the strong national identities that exist in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, plus the fact that matches would almost inevitably be played in England, denying fans from the Celtic nations the opportunity to attend matches in their locality. Indeed, such is the fierce pride that the Scots have in their football team that I suspect that the threat of being forced to play in a UK team would be more than enough to ensure a resounding vote for independence!

If we assume that the independence of the four nations will remain, at least for the medium term, then let’s briefly look at the four nations and what the future holds for them:

England:

The main force in UK football, England regularly qualify for major tournaments but routinely crash out before the latter stages. They hosted and won the World Cup back in 1966 but it’s been a frustratingly long wait for more international success for their fans. A concern for English fans is the proliferation of the English

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