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Aaron Ramsey denies Team GB involvement will harm Wales

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments31

Aaron Ramsey

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey believes there is no threat to his nation's footballing independence as a result of his and four other Welsh players' Team GB involvement at the 2012 Olympics.

Ramsey has backed the view of GB skipper Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy.

Asked if he felt Wales' existence would be in jeopardy by supporting Team GB, Ramsey said: "I don't, no."

The Arsenal player, 21, also believes the experience may boost Wales' future bids to reach major tournament finals.

The Football Association of Wales did not want any of the nation's players involved in the team.

The Scottish and Northern Ireland governing football bodies also argued against their players' involvement in the tournament, but manager Stuart Pearce named only Welsh and English players in his 18-strong squad.

Midfielder Ramsey describes becoming Wales captain as "probably one of the proudest moments of my career" and as Team GB prepared for the Games he said: "Hopefully it will be a good experience for me.

"Obviously I haven't competed in a tournament like this before and hopefully it will be the first of a few over the years, with Wales as well… and put us in good stead for the future."

Manchester United midfielder Giggs retired from Welsh duty in 2007 and neither he nor Bellamy has played at a major tournament.

The FAW, despite its own misgivings, has pledged not to take any action against Bellamy, Ramsey, Joe Allen and Neil Taylor over their involvement.

Liverpool striker Bellamy, 32, like Manchester United veteran Giggs, 38, has captained Wales and they are two of three over-age players in a squad otherwise consisting of players under the age of 23.

After facing Senegal on 26 July, Team GB meet United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July and complete their group fixtures against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 1 August.

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31 comments

  • Comment posted by User0382447369, at 20:25 16 Jul 2012

    these players are willing to leave the welsh football team's existence in the balance simply to play in a U23 competition. Assurances may have been given, but assurances are nothing from a governing body as corrupt as FIFA. Blatter won't be leading FIFA for long at his age, either.

    To be honest, there aren't words to express how little i think of ramsey & co without this comment being removed.

  • Comment posted by User0624567618, at 15:52 16 Jul 2012

    11: Your comments are the joke not Welsh football. We might struggle,be in the toughest qualifying pool Europe,haven't qualified for 50 odd yrs but at least we can enter as Wales, sing our own national anthem and show our national flag. The GB team & your lukewarm patriotism would deny us this right but if you’re naïve to think the GB football team’s going to win anything? lol

  • Comment posted by User0624567618, at 10:57 16 Jul 2012

    1: It's a sad ego trip! I’m proud to be native British but not in their pseudo let's pretend to be English in a GB football team way. I feel very uncomfortable seeing hundreds of Union Flag waving Welsh People who have no concept or knowledge that Wales isn't even represented in that flag? Seeing all those Union flags does remind me of what it’s like to witnessing a gigantic BNP rally.

  • Comment posted by User0624567618, at 16:27 16 Jul 2012

    13: What could happen is that due to the GB side Wales is forced to merge their vote/FA’s (god forbid!) with England to appease others members. The ignorant who are blissfully unaware of this concern quote:” we haven’t qualified so this is our only opportunity to win something rubbish?” If this is to be can Wales either merge with the FA’s of Brazil, Germany or Spain? All winners!

  • Comment posted by IoT91, at 15:52 16 Jul 2012

    @11 What an odd way of looking at things. Our nation isn't very good at football and therefore it’s acceptable to merge with others in order to have a better chance of success. England isn’t that good compared to the likes of Spain, why not form a European team. Or, in order to guarantee success every time, why not form a team of the world? The term that comes to mind is plastic supporting?

  • Comment posted by User0147753705, at 16:27 16 Jul 2012

    I have lost all respect for the 5 Welsh mercenaries . To think that their participation in the Olympics will not possibly jeopardise the existence of the welsh national football team is naive, disrespectful and self-serving beyond belief.

    Selfish acts by so few that could have huge long term implications on so many!!

  • Comment posted by User0624567618, at 10:19 16 Jul 2012

    I hope Aaron Ramsey's right but If in the future UEFA Decides that because Welsh Players were in a GB team they would argue for the dissoving Welsh FA then Wales itself ( See the ECB cricket for a future example?) No Wales representation Literally but so called Welshmen playing under the banner of England. Think it wouldn’t happen? Wake up, It’s already happened in one sport. Fact!

  • Comment posted by User0313628311, at 10:08 17 Jul 2012

    re mabion et al and their sad blinkered jingoism

    i hope they merge all the home nations after the olympics.Sebb Blater has to make one good decision as the head honcho of world football.England r bunk at football,wales r bunk at football and so2are scotland n ireland.they make a mockery of the term competative international football and will now have set a health precedent going forward.

  • Comment posted by User0241597323, at 10:50 17 Jul 2012

    At least digbic78 is honest about his agenda – the elimination of Welsh football.

    Here’s a joke for you – what do Wembley Stadium and Hereford After Dark have in common .... you can get to kill a Welshman there with impunity ...

  • Comment posted by Blags, at 10:11 16 Jul 2012

    Hendre I have no idea what you are even basing that comment on!

  • Comment posted by User0856655396, at 10:50 16 Jul 2012

    Sad that these players put a few meaningless games at the Olympics before the future of the Welsh international football team.
    These players should be banned from pulling on a Welsh jersey again

  • Comment posted by User0624567618, at 11:12 16 Jul 2012

    4: You are wrong! The Lions don’t sing any national anthem like the GB players would or come under the English, Scottish & Irish banner namely the Union Flag (Wales still excluded if you‘re unaware in 2012). The Lions are basically a combined club side of nationals, the pinnacle should be to win a world cup with your nation not to be in a lions side which is a jolly boys outing of rugby.

  • Comment posted by User0313628311, at 16:12 18 Jul 2012

    re29hughesy-Les davies nominated for best player!How can that joker be up for the same award as the likes of messi and ronaldo?if he was good he wldn't be playing for bangor
    Welsh international football is the subjest that is laughable!Welsh football is the joke of europe.
    I like how i'm not a proper welshman cause I think welsh f/ball is a joke.If my comments were irrelevant then why respond?

  • Comment posted by User0313628311, at 11:40 16 Jul 2012

    Welsh football is a joke.As a welshman we all know how laughably rubbish welsh international football is and how completley rubbish the welsh premiership is.We don't qualify for anything ever!They could knock the football on it's head tomorrow and not many people are going to care.The only chance welsh footballers are going to have at winning anything is in Team GB

  • Comment posted by IoT91, at 14:59 16 Jul 2012

    Sepp Blatter, 2008: "If you start to put together a combined team for the Olympic Games, the question will automatically come up that there are four different associations so how can they play in one team.
    It is a threat, anyone denying this is naive.
    "If this is the case then why the hell do they have four associations and four votes and their own vice-presidency?"

  • Comment posted by G Mawr, at 23:15 18 Jul 2012

    I'll get behind Team GB if they:

    * play in red
    * use Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau as their anthem
    * play their home games in Cardiff.
    * are known as "Wales"

  • Comment posted by User0494753846, at 19:08 17 Jul 2012

    Welsh speaker & Bangor City fan & proud it, our attendance is like a 1000 a game & Les Davies nominated for best player in europe haha I get your point about the Welsh Prem but your comments about the Welsh national team is laughable! Never desert your country! Then again you obviously ain't a real Welshman so your comments are irrelevant.

  • Comment posted by User0241597323, at 11:03 16 Jul 2012

    Ramsey is arrogant and ignorant because he thinks he knows better than his own governing body whose officials have many years of dealing with Fifa.

  • Comment posted by Ian Sankey, at 20:31 16 Jul 2012

    Wales the only team in UEFA loosing the core of their first team for this glorified youth tournament. Yet with qualification starting just days after the the tournament finishes, these players have chosen to sell out and will miss warm up games and important training sessions. With decent preparation, we'd have had a real chance of qualifying this time. You should be ashamed of yourself Ramsey.

  • Comment posted by User0313628311, at 10:33 17 Jul 2012

    rehughesy
    please remind of the monster crowds the welsh premiership attracks week in week out?how many of our clubs have made huge inroads in europe?Nothing like watching p/talbot take on llanelli in the legendary west wales derby!lol
    How many more tournaments are you going to watch wales not qualify for?What a fine heritige and history wales has in football.

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