Written by Smithy on November 21st, 2008
Press Statement
18th October 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
JOINT STATEMENT FROM:
The Association of Tartan Army clubs (ATAC - Scotland)
Football Supporters Federation (FSF - England)
Football Supporters Federation Cymru (FSF - Wales) and
Amalgamation of Official NI Fans Clubs (AONISC - Northern Ireland)
How do you trust the man that can’t be trusted?
The No Team GB campaign notes that Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, is the latest politician to jump on the pro-team GB bandwagon and to peddle worthless assurances.
Following their meeting with the FIFA General Secretary, Jerome Valcke, NoTeamGB.com calls upon Mr Murphy and Andy Burnham to explain how they feel able to trust the footballing fate of all four home nations to the word of a man who has already been dismissed from FIFA (Dec 2006)[1] for, by his own admission, telling a “commercial lie”[2] during sponsorship negotiations where he deliberately lied to two competing parties, and who has been certified as a “serial liar” by a New York judge[3].
Much has been made of Mr Murphy’s talks by the media in the UK, however the fundamental flaw in this so-called assurance has been largely brushed over. Mr Valcke has absolutely no authority to offer such a “categorical assurance” and in fact nobody within FIFA or any other body for that matter has such authority. FIFA is a democracy and it is the elected members from national football associations, the committees appointed by those elected members and the FIFA Congress that decide on policy and not the likes of Mr Valcke who is pure and simply the footballing equivalent of a civil servant.
Indeed, Mr Valcke’s comments are actually directly at odds with those of his superior at FIFA, Sepp Blatter, who, in March 2008, stated “If you start to put together a combined team for the Olympics, the question will automatically come up that there are four different associations so how can they play in one team".
Mr Murphy is adamant in his view that these assurances pave the way for a football Team GB to take part in the Olympics without detriment to the individual nations. However, this being the case, it is quite astonishing that the Secretary of State, a Westminster MP, has felt the need to conduct this meeting (on an issue which has been devolved to the Scottish Parliament) in secret and with no involvement from the SFA, the FAW, the IFA or the FA, the very organisations which are at risk of vanishing should this go ahead. It is clear that, whilst Mr Valcke’s role at FIFA may have changed following his initial dismissal and subsequent near biblical resurrection to the upper echelons of the organisation, his clandestine negotiating tactics have not!
NoTeamGB.com spokesman, Tam Ferry said “once again, we have a politician claiming that this should be a football decision made by football people, yet once again they have undermined the standing of the national associations by going to FIFA behind their backs. Mr Murphy claims that this is "…a new reassurance and commitment from FIFA” and that he looks “…forward to them honouring it", however, he’s conveniently ignoring the previous comments from Sepp Blatter who pointed out that a Team GB will “put into question all the privileges that the British associations have been given by the Congress in 1946." We applaud the responses from the SFA and FAW and strongly encourage them and the IFA to maintain their position on this issue”.
Contact
Tam Ferry – NoTeamGb.com Scotland (07984 510033)
Gary McAllister - NoTeamGB.com Northern Ireland (07760 233011)
Simon Johnston – NoTeamGB.com Scotland (07967 102588)
[1] Independent
[2] Independent
[3] Sunday Herald
Posted in: NoTeamGB.com
Written by Smithy on October 30th, 2008
No Team GB - FANS GROUPS OPPOSE GB OLYMPIC TEAM
JOINT STATEMENT FROM:
The Association of Tartan Army clubs (ATAC - Scotland)
Football Supporters Federation (FSF - England)
Football Supporters Federation Cymru (FSF - Wales) and
Amalgamation of Official NI Fans Clubs (AONISC - Northern Ireland)
Crude Coe welcomed in Edinburgh despite recent outburst
The No Team GB campaign welcome Lord Sebastian Coe to Edinburgh today despite his alleged offensive comments directed towards the nations of Scotland and Wales that were reported in "The London Paper" dated 1 October 2008.
In response to a question about the opposition towards a British Olympic joint football team from the Welsh and Scottish FAs, Lord Coe allegedly replied " F*** them!"
This is a clear indication of the 2012 British Olympic Association steamrollering ahead with a joint team despite there being no appetite from the supporters of the four home nations. Supporters groups from each nation have come together under the www.NoTeamGB.com umbrella to campaign against the idea which seriously threatens the continued existence of the four home nations competing on the international stage in their own right.
The FSF (England), ATAC (Scotland), FSF Cymru (Wales) and AONISC (Northern Ireland) fans groups have been against this suggestion from the outset. This opposition is supported by the fact that Sepp Blatter (FIFA), David Taylor (UEFA) and various other football dignatories have previously stated that a team playing under the GB flag will seriously undermine the right of the four home countries to play on the international football scene in their own right.
No Team GB spokesman Simon Johnston said "Lord Coe is welcome in Edinburgh to promote the 2012 Olympics with the tournaments sponsors. His remit is to make sure that the tournament raises as much cash as is possible and to ensure its success. This success should not be at the expense of the existence of our home nations in world football. Lord Coe has to realise that to players, participation in the Olympics compared to the World Cup is akin to Red Rum or Desert Orchid taking part in a donkey derby rather than the Grand National"
Contact Simon Johnston (07967 102588) or Tam Ferry (07984 510033)
Posted in: NoTeamGB.com
Written by Smithy on August 19th, 2008
No Medals For This TeamGB
Scotland and Northern Ireland fans joined in their praise of the Olympians in Beijing ahead of their friendly match at Hampden, but quickly condemned the repeated attempts by Lords Moynihan & Coe to gain support for a TeamGB football team to participate in the London 2012 Olympics.
At a fans get together ahead of the Hampden clash, they united in voicing their concerns.
Tam Ferry of the Association of Tartan Army Clubs (ATAC) said “ The official fans groups of Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales are firmly against the false creation of a British football team, it threatens the independent position of our national game – we wish the Olympians well, but this is one medal we can do without”.
ATAC’s position is supported by Gordon Smith, Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association who has previously advised the British Olympic Committee that Scotland have no interest in supporting this team.
Thousands of Northern Ireland fans are arriving in Glasgow for the match with Scotland. Gary McAllister of the Amalgamation of Official NI Supporters Clubs said, “The vast majority of Northern Ireland fans are totally opposed to a 'Team GB' football team competing in the 2012 games.
We are deeply concerned that the four British Associations’ right to compete separately in international competition could be undermined by the participation of a unified UK team in the Olympic tournament and we feel that, without proper guarantees, this is a risk which cannot be taken,
We look forward to continuing to highlight our concerns alongside our friends from Scotland, England and Wales. The stakes are simply too high to allow this issue to go unchallenged."”
FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter stated in March this year that entering a TeamGB football team will "....put into question all the privileges that the British associations have".
ENDS
Posted in: NoTeamGB.com
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