Football has no place at the Olympic Games.

With the unveiling of the London 2012 Olympics less than two hundred days away from it's grand inauguration, an electrifying excitement has gripped me as we collectively prepare for the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet. However it has experienced its fair share of nuisances and grievances, chiefly as a result of the fiasco with applying for Olympic tickets and the staggering costs to host the games. After scrolling through the list of sporting events on offer, my distaste for one event in particular that has no place at the Games is Football.

The worst Olympic logo ever?

As a life long Leeds United supporter, my love of the game in a domestic sense will never cease, however footballers are involved in competitions domestically, across Europe and also are committed in playing for their countries in an attempt to qualify for the likes of the European Championships and of course the World Cup, almost spoilt for choice. 

Most athletes besides that of football, are not granted the pleasures of lucrative weekly contracts, money-spinning sponsorship's and super-stardom. Day in, day out British athletes such as Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Dai Greene, to name but a few, are in a never ending pursuit for perfection and that elusive, taunting motivator that is the prize above all others, an Olympic gold medal.
For four years, not every week, these athletes train for this solitary goal and nothing else. The life of less successful athletes is a trying and testing one, with the the threat of funding cuts lurking over them, success is not only something to be cherished but also a means to make a living.

World 400m Hurdle champion Dai Greene

These concerns are conveniently echoed by 400m Hurdling World Champion Dai Greene who states football 'shouldn't be there in the first place' and fervently hopes that these world renowned sporting stars 'don't overshadow those people who train for four years for that one moment'.
(1 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport)
For that 'one' moment. Days, turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, months blend into years until finally these athletes have, in Dai Greene's case, less than a minute to reach for glory or wallow in the disaster of defeat. Each and every athlete at the Olympics has earned their place to participate in the highlight of their careers, surely football players have not and according to Dai Greene most athletes would agree with him.

Where would a gold medal rank for a football player such as Barcelona's Xavier Hernandez? The former Ballon d'Or contender's considerable trophy haul continues to grow after adding another World Club Championship Trophy to the likes of 6 La Liga's, 3 Champions League titles, the 2008 European Championships and there is one more small accolade I am forgetting..... ahh yes, the inconsequential World Cup to boot, not forgetting a host of individual honours.
'Olympic champion'... it does have an attractive ring to it doesn't it? Maybe that is all it is to a football player, 'Another notch on your belt' that may provide more support in their attempts to be considered an all time great.

Gareth Bale unveiling the
 GB football kit

Surely there is no greater honour in sport than representing your nation or indeed Britain at a monumental spectacle such as an Olympic Games or a World Cup. Personally I think the two should never mix and perhaps that goes for other sports such as Tennis and Basketball who compete for the best part of a year but that is another debate for another time.

Of course football players and fans alike will disagree and claim that football and the players have a right to be part of the Olympics and attempt to push their country higher up the medal rostrum. You can understand where they are coming from and the lure of playing in an Olympic Games is just too tempting an offer to snub, especially as they will be cheered on by millions on home soil. The likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and most notably David Beckham have all ventured a keen interest in having a Team GB for football and you can't blame them. 

Torchbearer David Beckham

Furthermore, Olympic football can provide a great opportunity for the younger players, who may be on the cusp of their national squads, to stake their claim for a prolonged spot and of course a chance to win a medal for their country. It has helped to unearth future international stars such as Eto'o, Ronaldinho and Xavi in 2000, Tevez, Mascherano and De Rossi in 2004 and finally Aguero, Di Maria and Pato but did this have a great effect on their future careers?
Back to the matter at hand. Is this what football fans around the world clamour for? Effectively the ruling that only 3 players can be over 23 means that it might as well be GB u-23 team vs Nigeria's u-23's for example. Moreover, football was one of just three sports that hasn't sold its allocation with approximately 1.5 million of 2 million available for the men's and women's matches at Wembley, Millennium Stadium and the Ricoh Arena to name but a few. (2. http://www.worldfootballinsider.com) 

This will be the 25th time Football has been incorporated into the Olympics and this point perhaps would have only been relevant for the last two decades, when transfer fees and contracts began to sky rocket. A footballer doesn't dream from a young age of winning an Olympic medal, rather an FA Cup or a World Cup but an athlete has and always will which is why it seems the current crop of footballers are there to somewhat 'crash the party' or 'jump on the bandwagon'. There is no doubt there are both reasons for and against its contribution, though I am certainly a supporter of the latter.

Long term Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger declared, emitting a sense of ridicule, that “It cannot work,".
"The Olympics finish in mid-August so imagine a player who has played the Euros and Olympic Games. You think you can use him after that? It’s impossible. I don’t know what people think when they organise these competitions." (3. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport). Strong words from a credible source who understands the 'beautiful game' in abundance.
Further support emanated from former Badminton Silver medalist player Gail Emms who tweeted in a response to Dai Greene's interview, 'You were spot on. Totally agree football shouldn't be in the Olympics. So wrong.' (4. http://martingough22.wordpress.com)

A final word from Dai Greene, who has had an exceptional year and deserves nothing but praise for his achievements, even has time for another little jab at football. Green believes that, 'When an athlete wins a medal, they want it to be about them, their hard work and their story to get there,whereas the papers may be more interested in what David Beckham had for breakfast'. An honest, hardworking, good-humoured and exceptional athlete who I couldn't agree more with!


References:
1) http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/wales/15813277.stm
2) http://www.worldfootballinsider.com/Story.aspx?id=34515
3) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8848253/London-2012-Olympics-debate-football-should-not-be-an-Olympic-sport.html
4) http://martingough22.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/should-football-be-part-of-olympic-programme/