:00:23. > :00:28.Good morning and welcome to the draw for the 2012 Olympic Games
:00:28. > :00:38.Football Draw. It is time for Great Britain to join the party, in a
:00:38. > :00:43.
:00:43. > :00:51.competition that guarantees moments COMMENTATOR: And Nigeria are the
:00:51. > :01:01.Olympic football champions! And it has crept in, and Norway have won
:01:01. > :01:01.
:01:01. > :01:11.the Olympic gold medal! That, in the truest meaning of the word, is
:01:11. > :01:22.
:01:22. > :01:27.a golden goal. The title goes again And joining me in the studio this
:01:28. > :01:32.morning, the experienced England Women's International and BBC
:01:32. > :01:37.pundit Sue Smith. Experience is a nice thing, I am not being rude.
:01:37. > :01:43.And a man who's going to follow Team GB's every move. And I am
:01:43. > :01:48.never rude to you, Garth Crooks. A lot of women's footballers will be
:01:48. > :01:52.very excited at the moment. Without a doubt. It is massive for women's
:01:52. > :01:55.football, the fact that it is in this country, which is amazing, and
:01:55. > :02:00.it is the first time we have been allowed into the Olympics.
:02:00. > :02:04.Everybody is really excited. It is on Twitter and everything. Some
:02:04. > :02:11.maybe unfamiliar names in the men's tournament, but no shortage of
:02:11. > :02:17.talent. No, you saw in the opening titles so massive names, like
:02:17. > :02:22.Lionel Messi. I do not think this time will be any different. It is
:02:22. > :02:27.an under-23 tournament, with three over-age players, for the men, but
:02:27. > :02:34.for the women, no age limit. Yes, it is the best of the best for the
:02:34. > :02:37.women. The likes of Germany, ranked second in the world, are not there,
:02:37. > :02:42.that's probably the only team who are you would have expected to be
:02:42. > :02:49.there. But we have got the likes of Brazil, Japan, fantastic teams to
:02:49. > :02:54.watch. As far as the men are concerned, they cannot meet Spain
:02:54. > :03:00.or Brazil in the group stages. That's correct. Spain, the best
:03:00. > :03:07.team in the world, as we know, they are always a very important team.
:03:07. > :03:17.Switzerland, Ben Rhodes, who gave Spain a real fright. They will all
:03:17. > :03:19.
:03:19. > :03:23.be in the latter changes. The draw will be starting at Wembley Stadium
:03:23. > :03:30.very shortly. As far as the Great Britain women's team are concerned,
:03:30. > :03:34.they cannot play Japan or the USA... Oh, are they ready? Let's go
:03:34. > :03:42.straight to Wembley Stadium, we will speak to Sue Smith in just a
:03:42. > :03:47.minute. First, here's Gary Lineker. Thank you, welcome to Wembley. This
:03:47. > :03:53.is the biggest of the six venues that will stage the London 2012
:03:53. > :03:58.Olympic football tournament. This magnificent stadium goes more than
:03:58. > :04:04.130 metres into the sky, more than four times the height of the old
:04:04. > :04:08.Twin Towers at Wembley. Or about twice the size of Peter Crouch!
:04:08. > :04:13.This stadium is instantly recognisable to football fans all
:04:13. > :04:17.over the world. London has been preparing to host these games for
:04:17. > :04:20.the last seven years, so we are delighted that Wembley will be
:04:20. > :04:27.hosting the gold medal events for both the men's and women's
:04:27. > :04:33.tournaments. Sport has the power to unite people. As much as any sport,
:04:33. > :04:36.football really does bring people together. Football has featured at
:04:36. > :04:42.every Olympic Games since 1908, with just one exception. In that
:04:42. > :04:48.year, it was won by Great Britain. I remember it well. In Beijing, the
:04:48. > :04:52.Men's Final was won by Argentina, with the winning goal set up by a
:04:52. > :04:58.young Barcelona player who you may have heard of, Lionel Messi. The
:04:58. > :05:03.Women's Final was just as exciting as in previous Olympics, with the
:05:03. > :05:07.USA winning gold at three out of four Olympic football tournaments.
:05:07. > :05:12.Now, it is time to start finding the stars of tomorrow, both male
:05:12. > :05:18.and female, because we're going to have two doors today. The men's
:05:18. > :05:23.tournament will be an under-23s event, with each country allowed to
:05:23. > :05:27.include three older players. I have not given up hope yet! There are no
:05:27. > :05:31.age restrictions for the women's tournament. To start the
:05:31. > :05:37.proceedings today, and set us up for what we hope will be one of the
:05:37. > :05:40.most hotly-contested tournaments in history, please welcome the acting
:05:40. > :05:46.President of the Asian Football Confederation and member of the
:05:46. > :05:56.FIFA executive committee, and chairman of the FIFA Organising
:05:56. > :06:21.
:06:21. > :06:26.Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen... On behalf of the FIFA
:06:26. > :06:34.president, Sepp Blatter, may I welcome you all to London today, to
:06:34. > :06:41.the draw for the Olympic football tournament. It is a real honour to
:06:41. > :06:50.be here at the unique Wembley Stadium today, especially in the
:06:50. > :06:57.presence of Gary Lineker. The position of football at the Olympic
:06:57. > :07:05.Games is a topic which often generates a great deal of debate.
:07:05. > :07:14.However, four years ago, I saw first-hand in just how much esteem
:07:14. > :07:22.the players, both men and women, hold this competition. In Beijing,
:07:22. > :07:26.in 2008, I was the sporting director for the organising
:07:26. > :07:33.committee, and I saw our task growing from the beginning to the
:07:33. > :07:40.end, something which was hugely satisfying. Seeing the joy on the
:07:40. > :07:47.faces of the American and Argentinian women and men left me
:07:48. > :07:52.in no doubt about how much winning Olympic gold means to them. It is
:07:52. > :08:02.incredible to think that this will be the 23rd men's Olympic football
:08:02. > :08:07.
:08:07. > :08:17.tournament, dating right back to 1908. For the women, 2012 will be
:08:17. > :08:17.
:08:17. > :08:25.the fifth competition. The calibre of footballers to represent their
:08:25. > :08:28.countries down the years reads like a Who's who. I would like any
:08:29. > :08:36.football fans, be they in Great Britain or around the world, to
:08:36. > :08:43.take the opportunity to come and support their team in some of the
:08:43. > :08:47.most iconic football stadia in England, Scotland and Wales. In
:08:47. > :08:57.closing, I would like to wish all the team representatives here today
:08:57. > :08:57.
:08:57. > :10:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 118 seconds
:10:56. > :11:00.I congratulate all the teams that have made it this far, so far. To
:11:01. > :11:05.all our host venues, many represents with us today, and also
:11:05. > :11:10.thanks to the media, who have supported us right the way through.
:11:11. > :11:15.The bid was very clear and unambiguous. It was really too,
:11:15. > :11:20.where possible, enshrine the games not just in London but throughout
:11:20. > :11:24.the UK. I do not need to say to this audience gathered here today
:11:24. > :11:31.that we are a football-loving nation. We are a football-loving
:11:31. > :11:37.nation in all corners of the nation, to be able to showcase our great
:11:37. > :11:41.cities and venues around the UK, from Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester,
:11:41. > :11:51.Cardiff, at Coventry last night, a very good example, and of course
:11:51. > :11:55.
:11:55. > :12:02.Today is a big day, 94 days before the Opening Ceremony. Today gives
:12:02. > :12:06.us an opportunity to be able to say to the teams, the players, all fans,
:12:06. > :12:10.that they will now know who they will be playing and where. We have
:12:10. > :12:14.already sold one million tickets, which is a great indication of the
:12:14. > :12:19.appetite for the national game, the appetite for the Olympic Games, as
:12:19. > :12:23.we put the finishing touches to our testing processes in football. We
:12:23. > :12:28.will have the remaining football tickets on sale some time at the
:12:28. > :12:32.beginning of May, and we will confirm that timetable as we go
:12:32. > :12:38.ahead. The remaining Olympic and Paralympic tickets will be
:12:38. > :12:46.following on from there. This is a unique opportunity for the UK to
:12:46. > :12:49.share in the Olympic Games, a unique opportunity to share in the
:12:49. > :12:56.spirit of the games, and simply, at the end of the process, to say, I
:12:56. > :13:02.was there. I am delighted to be here today, delighted that this
:13:02. > :13:06.football tournament will play such an important role in the games. I
:13:06. > :13:09.am equally delighted to be able to hand back to Gary Lineker, who will
:13:09. > :13:19.put us out of our misery and tell us exactly where those fans,
:13:19. > :13:21.
:13:21. > :13:25.players and teams will be over the course of the summer months.
:13:25. > :13:32.Let's kick off the main event of the day, the draw for the Olympic
:13:32. > :13:36.football tournament for London 2012. The draw will be in two parts, the
:13:36. > :13:42.women's tournament First, with 12 qualifying teams, followed by the
:13:42. > :13:45.men, with 16 qualifying teams. There are six stadiums, seven
:13:45. > :13:50.groups and seven seeded teams, so you can imagine how complicated
:13:50. > :13:54.this can get. I am delighted to be able to hand over to a man who has
:13:54. > :14:02.conducted draws on several occasions, including the Olympic
:14:02. > :14:12.trot at Beijing, and did his the FIFA Secretary-General. We are also
:14:12. > :14:18.
:14:18. > :14:28.Those special guests include the celebrated Welsh midfielder Robbie
:14:28. > :14:32.
:14:32. > :14:42.Savage. The only woman to top the UK official singles charts as a
:14:42. > :14:46.
:14:46. > :14:53.solo artist as well as as part of a duo, triple, Quartet and quintet.
:14:53. > :14:58.It's Melanie C. A striker who played for Blackburn Rovers,
:14:58. > :15:08.Newcastle united and Coventry, and made 53 appearances for Scotland,
:15:08. > :15:11.
:15:11. > :15:14.Kevin Gallacher. A woman who has played a major part in the success
:15:14. > :15:24.of Arsenal Ladies and the England national women's team in recent
:15:24. > :15:46.
:15:46. > :15:56.And someone who also happens to be a recipient of an Olympic football
:15:56. > :16:08.
:16:08. > :16:14.Now we completed days women's draw. -- today's women's draw. Thank you.
:16:14. > :16:24.I will first try to give you some information about the draw itself.
:16:24. > :16:26.
:16:26. > :16:35.As you see, the allocation of slots, 12 for the women, 16 for the men,
:16:35. > :16:38.3.5 per For A F C. Senegal got the last slot. You will see the venues,
:16:38. > :16:43.which is the beauty of the Olympic football tournament, because it is
:16:43. > :16:52.not only played in London but in six venues including Wales and
:16:52. > :17:02.Scotland. Now you will see for the women's Olympic football draw. From
:17:02. > :17:25.
:17:25. > :17:35.We have four pots, with two seeded teams. The USA are the Olympic
:17:35. > :17:36.
:17:36. > :17:44.These teams will occupy the first position in the next slide you see,
:17:44. > :17:54.with the three groups. There are only three goals, for the remaining
:17:54. > :17:58.
:17:59. > :18:08.teams. -- bowls. We will start with the first pop, and this bowl.
:18:09. > :18:25.
:18:25. > :18:35.Britain. Thank you. Now we move to And it is Japan. Japan in Group F,
:18:35. > :18:48.
:18:48. > :18:52.position one, finally in number for, And USA in Group G, position one.
:18:53. > :18:59.Now we come back to the first one, with the two European teams, France
:19:00. > :19:09.and Sweden, as I understand. They will be allocated in Group F and
:19:10. > :19:10.
:19:10. > :19:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 118 seconds
:19:55. > :20:01.And France will be in its -- the last group. Thank you. It is two,
:20:01. > :20:06.the first game in France against the USA. OK, we are done with the
:20:06. > :20:16.first one. We can go to number two. We have no seeded teams, so we just
:20:16. > :20:29.
:20:29. > :20:39.move through the letters. We start with Cameroon. Cameroon in group
:20:39. > :20:58.
:20:58. > :21:08.Next? Thank you. South Africa. South Africa in Group F. To play
:21:08. > :21:18.
:21:18. > :21:28.South Africa, position F four, will play Sweden. And the final one,
:21:28. > :21:33.
:21:33. > :21:43.which is Columbia. Colombia, with USA and France. So Kevin? Position
:21:43. > :21:49.
:21:49. > :21:56.three or four. Thank you. And it is positioned three for Colombia. OK,
:21:56. > :22:06.number three, with New Zealand. The first team will be played in Group
:22:06. > :22:25.
:22:25. > :22:32.So that is the first, the first event at the Olympic Games 2012.
:22:32. > :22:42.Great Britain and New Zealand on 25th July, at Cardiff stadium.
:22:42. > :23:07.
:23:07. > :23:17.Korea in Group G. Just for G4 for Korea. Now to the last pot
:23:17. > :23:38.
:23:38. > :23:48.Pot E. New Zealand joining Great Britain and Cameroon. E4. And the
:23:48. > :24:01.
:24:01. > :24:06.final, final 1, Canada. Canada in F2. So we have the three groups,
:24:07. > :24:16.Great Britain, New Zealand, Cameroon and Japan in group three.
:24:17. > :24:19.
:24:19. > :24:23.Sweden and South Africa in Group F. USA, France, Columbia and Korea.
:24:23. > :24:27.Thank you very much to Gary Lineker and the team doing the draw.
:24:27. > :24:32.Apologies for the poor sound quality during that. But we do know
:24:32. > :24:38.first of all what the first event of London 2012 will be. That is
:24:38. > :24:43.Great Britain's Women against New Zealand. July 25th in Cardiff. Also
:24:43. > :24:48.in the group with Great Britain, Cameroon and Brazil. In Group F,
:24:48. > :24:58.Japan the seeded side. Canada, Sweden and South Africa as well.
:24:58. > :25:01.And the last group, the USA, France, Columbia and Korea. The top two in
:25:01. > :25:07.each group automatically qualify and then the two best third-placed
:25:07. > :25:10.sides as well. That is an interesting group for Great Britain.
:25:10. > :25:14.Very interesting and to be honest I think we can get through. Brazil
:25:14. > :25:18.will be a tasty game and they are fantastic to watch. They are
:25:18. > :25:22.similar to the men in the way that they play and their skill levels.
:25:22. > :25:26.The first game against New Zealand will be exciting. They are an up-
:25:26. > :25:29.and-coming team. He started off earlier in the year not too well,
:25:29. > :25:34.then they gradually had some good results. They are starting to peak
:25:34. > :25:39.for the tournament. 24th in the world, New Zealand. Their Olympic
:25:39. > :25:43.debut was in Beijing but they held Japan to a draw, the semi-finalists.
:25:43. > :25:46.And that shows the type of team that they are. They are very
:25:46. > :25:52.defensive but I think they will build. I think they will peak
:25:52. > :25:57.during the tournament. It is a good grip and we can get something out
:25:57. > :26:02.of it so I think it will be exciting. The men's draw will take
:26:02. > :26:07.place very shortly. They are just rearranging the balls to do that.
:26:07. > :26:13.Great Britain's women will hope that they qualified by the time
:26:13. > :26:17.they played New Zealand last. it is interesting. The footballing
:26:17. > :26:21.nations are featuring, including Brazil. Japan have become very
:26:21. > :26:27.strong. The way that country has embraced the game and really
:26:27. > :26:30.invested in it, that does not just impacted on the men's game. The
:26:30. > :26:35.women's game has also benefited as a consequence so I am really
:26:35. > :26:39.interested. OK. Back to Jerome Valcke for the men's draw.
:26:39. > :26:47.Information about the straw, you will see firstly that the teams
:26:47. > :26:55.qualify for each of the six confederations, with Japan, United
:26:55. > :27:05.Arab Emirates for grade C. Gabon, Morocco and Senegal. Honduras and
:27:05. > :27:15.
:27:15. > :27:20.The pot on my right with the seeded teams with Great Britain as the
:27:20. > :27:27.host a number one. Spain are the reigning champion from South Africa
:27:27. > :27:34.2010. Brazil and Mexico are also seeded and it was in agreement with
:27:34. > :27:38.LOCOG and FIFA that all of these teams were seeded. In number three,
:27:38. > :27:44.we have the United Arab Emirates and Korea and New Zealand. In
:27:44. > :27:50.number four, the four African teams. The first position is occupied by
:27:50. > :28:00.seeded teams and they will immediately start. We start with
:28:00. > :28:13.
:28:13. > :28:23.the white one. You are keen to do Position A1. Thank you. Now we move
:28:23. > :28:36.
:28:36. > :28:45.on again. The first part, the red Spain in poistion D1. Again we have
:28:45. > :28:55.two teams in this pot. It will either be Mexico or Brazil. It is
:28:55. > :29:07.
:29:07. > :29:11.Mexico. Mexico, B1. Finally, the last red one. Brazil. Brazil, the
:29:11. > :29:15.five-times World Champion, never Olympic champion. But five times
:29:15. > :29:20.World Champion. And the next organiser of the FIFA World Cup. We
:29:20. > :29:30.are done with the top teams in the first position, and we can move
:29:30. > :29:33.
:29:33. > :29:43.back to No. 1, where we still have Belarus and Switzerland. In pots B
:29:43. > :29:44.
:29:44. > :29:54.and C. Switzerland in Group B. With Mexico. Switzerland, the last time
:29:54. > :30:02.
:30:02. > :30:12.they played, was in 1928. It's B4 with Mexico for Switzerland. The
:30:12. > :30:20.
:30:20. > :30:30.last team will be in position see, Belarus goes into Group C, to play
:30:30. > :30:30.
:30:31. > :30:40.with Brazil. That's third position in Group C, for Belarus. Pot 2,
:30:41. > :30:41.
:30:41. > :30:51.let's go. We have Uruguay and Honduras, so they will go in Group
:30:51. > :30:57.
:30:57. > :31:07.A and Group D. Uruguay will be in Group A. Uruguay have won twice the
:31:07. > :31:08.
:31:08. > :31:18.Olympic football tournament, in 1924 and 1928. Fourth position in
:31:18. > :31:24.
:31:24. > :31:34.Group A, for Uruguay. Next, Honduras, going in Group D. Third
:31:34. > :31:37.
:31:38. > :31:47.participation for Honduras. Playing with Spain. Third position in that
:31:48. > :31:56.
:31:56. > :32:02.group. So, we move to Pot 3, where we have Japan and New Zealand. And
:32:02. > :32:12.we have Japan and New Zealand. And then we go from Group A to Group D.
:32:12. > :32:36.
:32:36. > :32:42.UAE in Group A. And it is third position for UAE. Next one. And it
:32:42. > :32:52.is Group B for the Korean republic. To play Mexico or Switzerland,
:32:52. > :32:53.
:32:53. > :33:03.first game. And it is second position in Group B, Korean
:33:03. > :33:07.
:33:07. > :33:17.Republic player in Mexico. Japan and New Zealand... Thanks. And it
:33:17. > :33:18.
:33:18. > :33:23.is New Zealand. New Zealand in Group C with Brazil and Belarus.
:33:23. > :33:27.Position 2 or 4. New Zealand, the second time they have played in the
:33:27. > :33:37.Olympic Games, after Beijing. Fourth position in Group C, New
:33:37. > :33:38.
:33:38. > :33:48.Zealand, playing Belarus. And last up, Japan. Japan to join Group D,
:33:48. > :33:59.
:33:59. > :34:06.with Spain and Honduras. Thank you. Japan, who got the bronze medal in
:34:06. > :34:12.1968. Second position in Group D for Japan, playing Spain. That's in
:34:12. > :34:22.Group D. OK, we are done with Pot 3, we can move on to Pot 4, where we
:34:22. > :34:26.
:34:26. > :34:36.have the African teams. And the first team to conclude Group A is
:34:36. > :34:41.Senegal. That's with Great Britain, UAE and Uruguay. Just confirmation,
:34:41. > :34:51.please, on that one. Senegal, Group please, on that one. Senegal, Group
:34:51. > :34:59.
:34:59. > :35:09.A, second position. Next one, for Group B. This is Gabon, in Group B.
:35:09. > :35:16.
:35:16. > :35:26.This is for the third position in that group. That's Gabon. Egypt and
:35:26. > :35:30.
:35:30. > :35:40.Morocco... To be in Group C - it is Egypt. That's with Brazil, New
:35:40. > :35:42.
:35:42. > :35:49.Zealand and Belarus. And Egypt is in second position. And to conclude
:35:49. > :35:57.the draw, we have one team, Morocco, so that's Morocco to play in Group
:35:57. > :36:07.D... And soon it will back -- it will be back to you, Gary Lineker.
:36:07. > :36:12.It is Morocco in Group D, and the last ball for the men's Olympic
:36:12. > :36:22.football tournament draw, it is fourth position in Group D, so,
:36:22. > :36:33.
:36:33. > :36:41.just to recap... Gary, the draw is concluded. Am I right in saying
:36:41. > :36:47.that Great Britain-Senegal will be the opening game? Correct, for the
:36:47. > :36:50.men's tournament, it will be. Let's get a quick reaction. Robbie Savage,
:36:50. > :36:56.tough group for Team GB, as you would expect, they are all going to
:36:56. > :37:00.be tough, but can you see it being successful? The stand-out game will
:37:00. > :37:06.be against Uruguay, but I think Great Britain under Stuart Pearce
:37:06. > :37:11.should progress. As for the ladies, Kelly Smith, that so tasty fixture
:37:11. > :37:17.against Brazil, isn't it? Yes, certainly England at least has
:37:17. > :37:22.never played Brazil, so that will be a great opportunity. We look
:37:22. > :37:32.forward to two wonderful competitions. Thank you to all our
:37:32. > :37:37.
:37:37. > :37:41.guests, and also to Jerome Valcke. So, we now know what lies ahead for
:37:41. > :37:46.the qualified teams, and there are sure to be some brilliant matches.
:37:46. > :37:50.Don't forget, tickets go back on sale in early May. You can visit
:37:51. > :37:56.the website for more information. Now, let's look at the agenda for
:37:56. > :38:00.the rest of the day. In a moment we will be asking all team
:38:00. > :38:06.representatives and liaison officers... We will leave Gary
:38:06. > :38:16.there because I don't think we need to know the agenda! Let's take a
:38:16. > :38:22.look at how the men's groups are now formed. So, Great Britain are
:38:22. > :38:28.in with Senegal, Uruguay and UAE. Great Britain have not been in the
:38:28. > :38:38.Olympics since 1960, the first ever time for UAE, and the first time
:38:38. > :38:43.
:38:43. > :38:53.for Uruguay since 1928, when they Belarus, who has under-21 side
:38:53. > :39:00.
:39:00. > :39:08.pushed the Spanish side so hard in What do you make of Britain's group,
:39:08. > :39:11.Garth? I am lowered to say it is an easy group, but it is an easy group.
:39:11. > :39:15.You have mentioned about teams being in the competition for the
:39:15. > :39:21.first time, or lucky to be there. Senegal just qualified, they will
:39:21. > :39:24.be delighted with that draw. We know that African countries laugh
:39:24. > :39:28.Premier League football, they love British football, they will be very
:39:28. > :39:34.excited, I can assure you, the fact that they will be playing against
:39:34. > :39:39.possibly the likes of David Beckham, possibly Craig Bellamy, Gareth Bale,
:39:39. > :39:43.players that they know very well. For those reasons, you cannot take
:39:43. > :39:47.Senegal lightly, because they will want to play well, and it has such
:39:47. > :39:53.an impact back home. That's where that draw becomes dangerous. But in
:39:53. > :39:58.all honesty, our players should get through this group. We should not
:39:58. > :40:03.take Uruguay lightly, either. In this qualifying competition, they
:40:03. > :40:10.put Argentina out, and that will be the last game for Team GB. Without
:40:10. > :40:13.a doubt, I have got to agree with Garth, any team that gets there, it
:40:13. > :40:18.is a one-off competition, they will be desperate to do well, and that
:40:18. > :40:22.is what they will do. I think that will be quite an interesting game,
:40:22. > :40:26.with Uruguay. They have had some good results. Just to be able to
:40:26. > :40:32.play against the likes of David Beckham would be exciting for any
:40:32. > :40:38.player. Turn that around, actually, depending on the squads that are
:40:38. > :40:46.picked, and the over-age players, that Uruguay side could conceivably
:40:46. > :40:56.contain Diogo Forlan, Luis Suarez, they are not coming in as innocents,
:40:56. > :40:58.
:40:58. > :41:01.are they? That changed dramatically, if those players are in. Just
:41:01. > :41:06.looking at the venues, the opening game, at Manchester, will be
:41:06. > :41:09.fantastic, that will be a full house, no doubt about it. I am just
:41:09. > :41:14.wondering to what extent those venues will affect the likes of
:41:14. > :41:18.Uruguay. I believe that game is in Cardiff. I think it is all about
:41:18. > :41:23.Team GB. Providing our players are settled and injury-free, I think we
:41:23. > :41:28.have got a fantastic chance of getting to the quarter-finals.
:41:28. > :41:38.will get reaction from both coaches now for Team GB, James Pearce is
:41:38. > :41:43.with both of them. Yes, I have got Stuart Pearce and Hope Powell
:41:43. > :41:53.alongside me. First of all, happy birthday, Stuart Pearce - has the
:41:53. > :41:55.
:41:55. > :42:00.draw been good for you? I am looking forward to this summer,
:42:00. > :42:05.certainly, and I think, after this draw, the focus will be on the
:42:05. > :42:11.Olympics, and everyone knows who we are playing now. One team perhaps
:42:11. > :42:14.you might have wanted to avoid, Uruguay, with players like Diego
:42:14. > :42:18.Forlan and Luis Suarez possibly, that could be a tough fixture for
:42:18. > :42:23.you. Yes, I would not dismiss anyone in the group, or any of the
:42:23. > :42:27.teams coming here. With three over- age players, it can contribute to a
:42:27. > :42:37.really strong side. It will be tough, it always is, that's
:42:37. > :42:37.
:42:37. > :42:40.tournament football. We will be looking forward to it. Let's bring
:42:41. > :42:46.in Hope Powell Major, and the fixture which stands out for the
:42:46. > :42:51.women, Brazil. Undoubtedly. It will be played at Wembley, it will be a
:42:51. > :42:56.great game for us. Undoubtedly the toughest team in the group, they
:42:56. > :43:02.are always there or thereabouts in major tournaments. But it is just
:43:02. > :43:05.about the preparation now for us. In the women's, two of the third-
:43:05. > :43:09.placed teams go through, so you have got every chance of
:43:09. > :43:16.progressing. Yes, but we cannot take it lightly. We played New
:43:16. > :43:22.Zealand in the World Cup, it was a very, very tough encounter. Brazil,
:43:22. > :43:26.and then, obviously, who have we got? Cameroon, yes, who we have
:43:26. > :43:30.never experienced before, so that will be a tough challenge, unknown
:43:30. > :43:36.quantity. But as I said, it is all about the preparation. What do you
:43:36. > :43:41.think this tournament can do for women's football in this country?
:43:41. > :43:46.It gives us a great opportunity to showcase our sport. It is a great
:43:46. > :43:50.platform, the opening match against New Zealand, it allows us to
:43:50. > :43:54.showcase the game, to get more females involved. One player
:43:54. > :43:58.everyone talks about more than any other when it comes to selection is
:43:58. > :44:06.David Beckham - when you choose the squad, will it be simply on merit,
:44:06. > :44:09.or will it be a bit of star quality as well? I would like to think
:44:09. > :44:14.everyone in the squad will have star quality, but it will be simply
:44:14. > :44:23.on merit. So, how would you rate David Beckham's chances at the
:44:23. > :44:27.is in. He has made a short list, which constitutes about 80 players
:44:27. > :44:30.at this moment. He has been a great ambassador for this country, in the
:44:30. > :44:35.Olympics, but that is no recommendation that he will get
:44:35. > :44:40.into the squad, which goes for all players. I will ask you the same
:44:40. > :44:44.question in a minute, Hope Powell, if I may. How important is it for
:44:44. > :44:49.you, as coaches, to pick a team which a representative of the whole
:44:49. > :44:53.of Great Britain? I am picking it on form and merit alone, nothing
:44:54. > :44:58.else. That is the fairest way I can do it. Every time didn't put in
:44:58. > :45:02.front of the camera, if I can pick a squad which turns around and
:45:02. > :45:07.perhaps does not reflect every home nation or any particular celebrity,
:45:07. > :45:12.but the best 18 players and four standby players, which are the
:45:12. > :45:18.moment -- which are at that moment the best in my opinion. That is the
:45:18. > :45:23.only criteria I am working to. would echo that. It would be about
:45:24. > :45:28.form, injury, it is our job as coach is to get the best 18 and
:45:28. > :45:32.four reserve players, so it will definitely be on form. Politically,
:45:32. > :45:36.people trying to sell tickets, for them, it would be helpful to have
:45:36. > :45:41.some people from Scotland and Wales involved. The good thing is, we are
:45:41. > :45:51.not politicians, we are coaches. Our job is to pick players who were
:45:51. > :45:58.
:45:58. > :46:02.on form, want to play and are You are a busy man at the moment
:46:02. > :46:07.and you have been in Poland. We still have no manager. Do you think
:46:07. > :46:12.you will be doubling up and doing both tournaments? I don't know. I
:46:12. > :46:18.will be doing the Olympics and if I am needed I will take the team to
:46:18. > :46:22.the euros. I am more than happy to take both tournaments this summer
:46:22. > :46:26.and I are more than capable of doing both jobs. How advanced is
:46:26. > :46:33.the planning if you were to step aside and someone else was to take
:46:33. > :46:37.on England job? Everything is totally down. The planning is
:46:37. > :46:40.totally done, if it is me or someone else. They will be happy
:46:40. > :46:44.with the decisions that have been made over the last few months,
:46:44. > :46:47.started by Fabio Capello and continued by myself. There will be
:46:47. > :46:52.no problems. Someone can come in and take the job tomorrow,
:46:53. > :46:57.basically. If you did the job, do you have a squad in mind that he
:46:57. > :47:02.would select? Of course. I do for the Olympic squad and for the
:47:02. > :47:07.England job as well. That is why ago to five games at least every
:47:07. > :47:11.week. Thank you. Thank you to everybody there. I am
:47:11. > :47:16.not surprised that Hope Powell for got one of the sides in the group.
:47:16. > :47:21.Our heads are still spinning. stressful! Who would have thought
:47:21. > :47:26.that picking up balls was so stressful! If you get that wrong,
:47:26. > :47:30.then you really are stressed. was interesting that she said that
:47:30. > :47:40.we are not politicians, we are poachers. We know a bit more about
:47:40. > :47:45.
:47:45. > :47:50.how the argument in the men's game have gone. -- we are coachs. Is it
:47:50. > :47:54.the same in the women's game? very similar. Hope Powell can only
:47:54. > :47:58.send the letters out to the players that she thinks are playing well.
:47:58. > :48:03.If they want to play, then they can. Any player would want to play in a
:48:03. > :48:07.massive event like this. important do you think that there
:48:07. > :48:12.are representatives from all of the home nations? I think that would be
:48:12. > :48:16.great because we play two games in Cardiff, so it would be fantastic
:48:16. > :48:20.to have the Welsh fans supporting us. But like Hope Powell said, we
:48:20. > :48:23.just have to pick the best 18 players at the time. If that
:48:24. > :48:28.includes Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, then that is wonderful,
:48:28. > :48:34.but otherwise she might just pick a team of English players. Where do
:48:34. > :48:40.you stand on this argument? I think that we have got a selection of
:48:40. > :48:44.such fabulous players, I really don't see whether it is political...
:48:44. > :48:48.I think the margins between the players that will be on show of
:48:48. > :48:53.that fine, that I think that Hope Powell and Stuart Pearce can afford
:48:53. > :48:57.to be political if they want because the class is so good. Craig
:48:57. > :49:00.Bellamy or David Beckham or Joe Cole? Come on! We should be
:49:00. > :49:06.breezing through the first group. It might get tasty in the knockout
:49:06. > :49:10.stages, no doubt. But I should think that those two people can
:49:10. > :49:13.afford to be a little bit political because football unites the nation.
:49:13. > :49:20.It happened with the British Lions and I don't see why it cannot
:49:20. > :49:29.happen in football. Let's not be so much like that. We can afford to be
:49:29. > :49:33.generous in this competition. Pearce has been joined by Lord Coe.
:49:33. > :49:38.Lord Coe has a different job compared to the coach. They have to
:49:38. > :49:43.sell tickets, 1.5 million still to sell. The venue that has sold the
:49:43. > :49:48.least his hand and Park in Glasgow. Looking at the fixtures, the first
:49:48. > :49:54.match is Spain against Japan. -- Hampden Park in Glasgow. That is a
:49:54. > :50:02.good game. Ben Bella rose's game might not be so easy to sell. --
:50:02. > :50:07.then Belarus's game. I think today helps because then people will know
:50:07. > :50:11.of who is playing. Don't forget we have already sold millions of
:50:11. > :50:15.tickets, which shows the appetite in this country and around the
:50:15. > :50:19.world for the game. How many tickets can you sell? We will work
:50:19. > :50:26.hard there. We know whether teams are and the fans know where the
:50:26. > :50:30.teams are. We have got some great names. The opening match is at the
:50:30. > :50:35.Millennium Stadium, with the Great Britain's women's team playing and
:50:36. > :50:40.then the next day at Old Trafford with Senegal. I think people know
:50:40. > :50:45.whether venues are now. They also know which teams are playing, which
:50:45. > :50:48.players will be available and I think they will start moving.
:50:48. > :50:51.women's football this will be a real boost for the country. The
:50:51. > :50:57.first event is the women's match you were just talking about in
:50:57. > :51:02.Cardiff, Team GB against New Zealand. Exactly. The women's
:51:02. > :51:08.football team is a very strong team at the moment. They are as good.
:51:08. > :51:10.They are in the top three or four in the world now. It is a great
:51:10. > :51:14.opportunity for people to get behind the Great Britain women's
:51:14. > :51:18.team as well, and just a few days before the opening ceremony, as he
:51:19. > :51:23.said. There are still 1.5 million tickets on sale but you cannot buy
:51:23. > :51:28.them at the moment. Why not? We are finishing our testing procedures
:51:28. > :51:33.all the time. We were testing at Coventry last night, when Senegal
:51:33. > :51:35.beat Oman to grab the final place in the Olympic football tournament.
:51:36. > :51:40.We want to make sure that we have got all the testing done. It is
:51:40. > :51:45.only a matter of days. We will announce the sale of those tickets,
:51:45. > :51:47.probably in early May, and confirm that timetable quite quickly.
:51:47. > :51:51.asking Stuart Pearce about David Beckham earlier. You would probably
:51:51. > :51:55.like to see him playing because that would sell tickets. He would
:51:55. > :52:02.like to pick his team on merit. How keen are you to have someone like
:52:02. > :52:07.David in the team? This is absolutely for Stuart Pearce. He
:52:07. > :52:14.must pick the team on merit. Whatever team that he picks will
:52:14. > :52:18.attract a lot of attention. important is it for the British
:52:18. > :52:22.team to have representatives from all the home nations? Well, if
:52:22. > :52:26.possible that is wonderful, but on merit. You do not select on a quota
:52:26. > :52:31.basis but on merit. Stuart Pearce will put together the best squad
:52:31. > :52:36.that two things is available and the best squad will lift the trophy.
:52:36. > :52:43.-- that he thinks is available. I don't think Stuart Pearce should be
:52:43. > :52:47.forced into bigging on a quota basis. I want to see a team that
:52:47. > :52:55.plays at the very highest level. Thank you very much and best of
:52:55. > :52:59.luck. Thank you. When Under 21
:52:59. > :53:04.internationals are played in this country, home nations all of them,
:53:04. > :53:11.they sell out very well. Actually, ticket sales for Team GB should be
:53:11. > :53:16.fine, whether David Beckham was there or not. I think it will be
:53:16. > :53:19.phenomenal. We are pining for football. We want something to do
:53:19. > :53:24.on a Saturday afternoon. We miss that staple diet, so I have no
:53:24. > :53:28.doubt that they will go. You can't tell me if there is a hint of a
:53:28. > :53:32.Scottish flavour into the GB squad when they play at Hampden Park, it
:53:33. > :53:36.will go mental. Should that be a consideration? I said earlier. I
:53:36. > :53:41.think there is such an array of British talent that they can afford
:53:41. > :53:51.to be generous. Let's look at the group's again, starting with the
:53:51. > :54:02.
:54:02. > :54:05.went it? They come here to win the gold medal. I have listened to some
:54:06. > :54:13.interviews and they don't want a medal, they want the gold. That
:54:13. > :54:18.doesn't sound like the Americans! We will build stories up over the
:54:18. > :54:23.course of the next 92 days until Great Britain and New Zealand play
:54:23. > :54:28.each other. Also in that group, Brazil. They have one of the world
:54:28. > :54:36.superstars of the women's game. Without a doubt. She has won five
:54:36. > :54:39.times, world player of the year. Brazil are like the men, very good
:54:39. > :54:43.to watch and difficult to play against because you don't know what
:54:43. > :54:47.they are going to do. As a manager, coach, it is difficult to
:54:47. > :54:51.tactically set up against them. We have never played them before, so
:54:51. > :54:55.that will be interesting to see how that happens. I am quite excited
:54:55. > :55:00.about that. I will be reporting with the Great Britain team. On
:55:01. > :55:07.July 8th, we will find out what the final 18 is. I am very keen to find
:55:07. > :55:10.out how up they are for the tournament. We have not won a major
:55:10. > :55:14.tournament since 1966. A major football international tournament
:55:14. > :55:20.and they have a real chance of winning this one. We have to take
:55:20. > :55:24.it seriously and we have a fantastic chance. This is the men's
:55:24. > :55:28.draw again. Senegal, Garth Crooks was talking about the young players
:55:28. > :55:33.that might be involved from Senegal point of view. They will love being
:55:33. > :55:38.here and they will love playing here. Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse,
:55:38. > :55:42.that will interest the Newcastle fans. You mentioned the opportunity
:55:42. > :55:46.that Uruguay have with Luis Suarez and people like that. Again Senegal
:55:46. > :55:52.can bring in those players. I wonder to what extent they will be
:55:53. > :55:56.playing England in the opening game. Britain! Britain, I beg your pardon.
:55:56. > :55:59.Playing to be in the opening game attract the likes of Demba Ba and
:55:59. > :56:06.Papiss Cisse. It suddenly becomes an attractive proposition. Things
:56:06. > :56:12.are changing all the time. That is Team GB's opening game, Senegal.
:56:12. > :56:16.Then United Arab Emirates and Uruguay. Alex Ferguson has said
:56:16. > :56:20.that having a short list of 80 is chaotic for Stuart Pearce. I think
:56:20. > :56:25.so. We do not have the European Championships coming up, that his
:56:25. > :56:29.next year for us so we have no issue with that. Regarding the
:56:29. > :56:32.Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish players, for me there are probably
:56:32. > :56:36.only two or three that could get into the England set-up. That is
:56:36. > :56:42.probably critical but that is my opinion on that. It think it will
:56:42. > :56:47.be easier for Hope Powell and Stuart Pearce. It will be
:56:47. > :56:54.fascinating. David Beckham, but to make it? If he is fit, he probably
:56:54. > :57:01.will. Will the tickets go? You had better believe it. I believe you,!
:57:01. > :57:06.Goodness me. Other things coming your way on BBC's board. Day four
:57:06. > :57:09.of the world snooker in Sheffield, live on BBC Two from 1 o'clock.
:57:09. > :57:15.Ronnie O'Sullivan continuing his first-round match against Peter
:57:15. > :57:23.Ebdon. You can follow Chelsea's Champions League semi-final second
:57:23. > :57:28.leg in Barcelona live on five Live tonight. The game kicks off at
:57:28. > :57:32.7:45pm with Chelsea defending that lead from the first game. And after
:57:32. > :57:36.West Ham winning at Leicester, the one remaining promotion place from
:57:36. > :57:42.the championship is still up for grabs. We are going to be at St
:57:42. > :57:46.Mary's on Saturday lunchtime. It is Southampton against Coventry,
:57:46. > :57:51.12:15pm on BBC One. If Nigel Atkins's side wins, they will be
:57:51. > :57:56.going up. The football tournament at the Olympics starts before the