By David Gold
December 23 – Celtic manager Neil Lennon has revealed that Scott Brown, James Forrest and Adam Matthews have been lined up to play for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games and says he will not stand in their way if they are selected and want to go.
The English Football association has been writing to all eligible players to ask whether they would be willing to take part in the team.
The fielding of a united British team has split the home nations, with Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland opposed to the involvement of their players in the team.
The likes of Wales’ Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are determined to play if selected by coach Stuart Pearce.
Lennon has previously said that he doesn’t want his players participating in the Olympics, and the Scottish league usually starts in early August so he could be left without key men for the beginning of the 2012-13 campaign.
“We will sit down with them over the next few weeks and see what they are thinking,” he said.
“My view is that football is not an Olympic sport.
“But if the players want to go, I’m not going to discourage it.
“It’s the timing of it with the start of the season next year or the [European] qualifiers.”
Though both 20-year-old Scot Forrest, and 19-year-old Welshman Matthews are under 23 years old and thus eligible to participate, the 27 cap Scotland international Brown would have to be one of three over-age players as he will be 26.
He could potentially miss out to the likes of England’s David Beckham and Joe Cole or Wales’ Ryan Giggs.
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