Football is the World’s most popular sport, with an estimated audience of 4 billion fans worldwide.
With the Olympics seen as the pinnacle of sport, where only the very best from each nation are selected to participate and compete for glory, why is it that nobody really seems to care about Olympic football, players or fans alike?
THE WORLD STAGE
Athletes for track and field, hockey, swimming, equestrian, diving, gymnastics and many more, will dedicate almost their entire life to reach the Olympics, focusing each 4 year gap between the games to train harder, better, faster, stronger to be in with a chance of being crowned the best in the world!
For athletes such as Simone Biles, Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Tom Daley, their whole life’s work to that point, and years and years of training, will come down to just a few seconds to shine on the World Stage. We often see many athletes retire after fulfilling their dream of an Olympic medal or performance, setting an Olympic or World record, or doing something that nobody has done before (Usain Bolt’s amazing record set in the 2008, 2012 & 2016 Olympics for winning gold medals for 100m and the 200m at three consecutive games). This dedication to win, or just to be there, proves how much the Olympic Dream means to so many athletes and their families, the coaching staff and trainers and the fans worldwide.
SUPPORT FOR OLYMPIC FOOTBALL
So, with 4 billion fans across the globe, why is there next to no support for men’s football at the Olympics, from fans, the Governing Bodies or some of the players themselves? Is the Olympics not good-enough? Why is the Greatest championship, specifically for the very best athletes on Earth, not seen as important as the World Cup, or even the Euros, African Cup of Nations, Copa America etc.
Every 4 years, the World’s best male footballers gather to determine global football supremacy at the
World Cup, with an audience of 1.5 billion tuning in to watch the 32 nations playing against each other in 2022. In the same month that the Paris 2024 Olympics begins, the England men’s football team finished their Euro 2024 campaign leaving as second best in Europe, with 19.3 million people tuning in to watch the final. So what do you know about football in the Olympics?
There is such an apparent lack of apathy towards Olympic Football, did you know that Team GB have declined to enter their men’s team 15 times, totalling 60 years, since 1900, and appeared just once since 1960 at the London 2012 Games. Olympic women’s football has only been an official Olympic sport since 1996, however the GB Women’s football team have only participated twice since then, despite being able and trying to qualify.
HISTORICAL REASONS
The easiest explanation is that FIFA won’t allow it. When the men’s World Cup was established in 1930, FIFA didn’t want the Olympics to overshadow its premier tournament, so football was excluded from the 1932 Games. When it returned for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, it was designated as an amateur event. This status remained until 1984, when the IOC sought the return of professional players. To prevent European and South American dominance, a rule was introduced requiring teams from those continents to use players who had not previously competed in a World Cup. Other nations faced no such restrictions. Despite this, France still won the gold in 1984.
Since the Olympic Games are not affiliated with FIFA, clubs are not obligated to release their players for the event. Additionally, since 1992, the men’s competition has been limited to players under the age of 23 with the exception of 3 over 23 year old players, making it more of a developmental opportunity rather than a high-stakes tournament featuring the sport’s biggest stars. As a result, the top players in men’s football are unlikely to participate in the Olympics. This has led to an honour roll that does not accurately reflect the broader landscape of men’s football, with Hungary being the most successful nation and Brazil never having won the competition. Some major countries opt not to use these over-age slots, making the competition quite unpredictable. Traditional football powerhouses don’t always dominate; for example, Nigeria and Cameroon claimed gold in 1996 and 2000, respectively. Brazil, arguably the world’s best team for many years, has only secured two silver medals in Olympic history and failed to qualify for the 2004 Games.
WHY NO ENGLAND/TEAM GB
European qualification for the men’s Paris Olympics came from the 2023 UEFA Under-21 Euros, which England won. But an ongoing dispute meant lifting the silverware didn’t book Team GB’s Olympic spot, with Israel and Ukraine instead qualifying alongside runners-up Spain.
Unlike the World Cup and European Championship, which are governed by FIFA and UEFA respectively, the Olympics are overseen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In FIFA and UEFA competitions, each part of the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) competes independently, as each has its own football association. However, in the IOC, these home nations are combined under the name Great Britain (Team GB) and compete as a single entity, accumulating medals collectively.
In the early 20th century, British teams regularly participated in Olympic football events and achieved significant success. Great Britain men claimed an unofficial gold at Paris 1900, followed by official golds at London 1908 and Stockholm 1912. Over time, concerns arose from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland that continued participation as a single entity in the Olympics might jeopardise their independence in FIFA and UEFA tournaments. Consequently, Team GB’s participation in Olympic men’s football ceased in the 1970s, with a brief exception for the London 2012 Games. Hosting the Games on home soil led to an agreement for a squad comprising 13 English and 5 Welsh players, but no Scottish or Northern Irish representatives. Team GB was ultimately eliminated by South Korea in the quarter-finals on penalties.
No similar agreement has been reached for subsequent Olympics, meaning England’s win in 2023’s Under-21 Euros did not secure them a place in Paris 2024.
WHAT ABOUT THE WOMEN?
The current agreement among the home nations stipulates that the highest-ranking women’s team among the four will attempt to secure one of the three European spots available for Team GB. For the 2024 Olympics, this responsibility fell to England. However, the Lionesses fell short, finishing second in their Nations League group, therefore not qualifying for the Olympics, despite a 6-0 victory over Scotland in their final group game.
Team GB’s women’s squad also competed at London 2012 and, unlike the men’s team, has had opportunities to qualify for the Olympics since then. Although no agreement was reached for Brazil 2016, the women’s team made a comeback for Tokyo 2020. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals in both editions.
Even though the Olympics doesn’t accurately showcase the world’s best football teams, or all of the world’s best players, The Games are still a spectacle to watch, and an exciting opportunity for the U23 players. Football might not be quite the same at the Olympics as watching the World Cup or continental competitions due to the restrictions from different governing bodies, but for sport lovers: football is football, and the Olympics is a perfect opportunity to get excited for another football championships!
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