London 2012: Stuart Pearce hopes Welsh back Olympic Team GB
Last updated on .From the section Wales
Coach Stuart Pearce hopes his Team GB football side will not be booed by Welsh fans who are against a British Olympic team at London 2012.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) opposes Team GB, fearing an all-British squad could threaten its independence with world governing body Fifa.
Some Welsh fans protested against Welsh players competing for Team GB in last November's
"We hope that everyone gets behind this team," said Pearce.
The FAW, along with the Scottish and Northern Irish associations, does not want a Team GB despite reassurances from Fifa that supporting the team poses no threat to their future as separate international entities.
The Welsh FA, though, has said it would not stop Welsh players from taking part and - including three past and present Wales captains - have been selected for Pearce's 18-man squad.
Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale was expected to be included but he
Ryan Giggs, who retired from international duty in 2007, Craig Bellamy, Joe Allen, Neil Taylor and current skipper Aaron Ramsey will feature in a competition that starts against Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July.
Team GB will play the United Arab Emirates at Wembley before their final Group A game against Uruguay in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on 1 August - and Pearce does not want an adverse reaction in the Welsh capital.
"I don't think I have ever seen an Olympic Games where the home team has been booed, and I would hate that to be us," he said.
"We have bought into the Olympic ideal and I've given players from every nation due diligence, which has ruled out everything bar footballing ability.
"There is some real quality to come in from Wales and I'm absolutely delighted with their reaction that they want to be involved.
"They have shown me they want to be part of this and are very excited by it.
"It can only benefit the players and if it benefits the players it will benefit Wales.
"I think Wales have got a fantastic clutch of players going forward. I don't see a negative anywhere across the board."
Pearce insists he has been in regular contact with Wales manager Chris Coleman as he selected a squad to represent Great Britain in the football competition for the first time since the 1960 Olympics, but the FAW has made no comment since four current Welsh players were selected.
The Olympic football final at Wembley on 11 August is just four days before Wales' final 2014 World Cup qualifying warm-up against Bosnia in Llanelli on 15 August and seven days before the opening day of the Premier League season.
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We are giving IFAB to them on a plate, waving our Team GB flags as we go.
The SFA has opposed Team GB every step of the way as is threatens to remove the independence of our home nations teams- only the English who see their nationality as a synonym with Britishness haven't recognised the issue.
Furthermore, Jordan Rhodes is the best u23 prospect in Britain, and he's Scottish.
- FIFA's Theo Zwazinger in May 2012 talking about a congress FIFA will hold to discuss changes in 2013. The composition of IFAB will be on the agenda.
FIFA will force the merger of the FA’s of the South British nations. The top Welsh clubs are already part of the English pyramid.
The 5 Welsh players decisions has cost them a lot of respect in Wales, I hope their selfish short sighted actions don't cost Welsh football a whole lot more.
Finally well done to Swansea City for their contingent.
IFAB decide what size the goals should be, should the offiside rule change, should we have goal-line technology...not who FIFA should and shouldn't allow into their own competitions. IFAB would be powerless to do anything.
Blatter is effectively powerless as consequence.
Greed and politics now override any Olympic ideals.
Simply put my point is that if a threat to independence is 5 players, lets Order Swansea, cardiff etc, back to the welsh system, and Throw TNS out...