That is a British problem. Is four nations within a nation. "They want to have the cake and eat it", if that is the correct analogy. Some sports they play under their ethnic flag and in other sports they play under the Union Jack. All the same, they use the same Brit. passport. All this crap because England was an "imperial power" telling everyone what they should be and how to call themselves. But in their own corner of the earth they can't decide what they want to be. I know the Scots want to go their own way. If the other "nations" don't want to participate, leave them out. Is time FIFA tell them they should have one team or they should split and have 4 bonafide nations. What if the Catalans get permission to play WC. Look how much confusion that will have. Whatt if Tobago say they want to participate in WC on their own. More confusion. England/GB/UK have create so much commesse in this world, we still recovering some of their grand designs. Who the the hell cares!!!
Deeks, you make a good point. But there has always been four seperate national football teams, as well as four seperate rugby teams. The Great Britain idea is mainly for olympic sports, and its the British Olympic association that want the benefit of all four nations under one flag, even though they compete as seperate nations in the Commonwealth games.
I would be happy to go along with your thoughts and enter seperate olympic teams, and I assume, of course, that West Indies will no longer field a cricket team, but instead the Islands will all enter seperately.......or is that not ok with you?
The day I see a Trinidad, Jamaica, St Lucia, Barbados cricket team play a test match will be the day you may critisize the GB olympic team.
However, personally, I would love to see England, Scotland, N.Ireland and Wales competing seperately in the Olympics, not just at football, but at all sports.