There's not a manager around who picks on sentiment, insists Pearce

By Andrew Warshaw at Wembley Stadium in London

July 2 – Team GB coach Stuart Pearce suffered the anticipated bombardment here today over the shock omission of David Beckham from his London 2012 squad – and steadfastly insisted the decision was taken for purely footballing reasons.

Facing the media for the first time since news was leaked of Beckham’s exclusion, Pearce (pictured above) tried hard not to become rattled as he was hit with question after question about why he snubbed the former England captain and global icon.

Admitting that whittling the squad down to 18 was a huge challenge, Pearce responded with same kind of no-nonsense zeal that marked him out in his playing days as one of England’s toughest defenders.

“I don’t think there is a manager around who picks solely on sentiment,” Pearce said.

“I’ve got a vast amount of respect for David in terms of what he did for the bid process [but] I have a duty of care to everybody and treated everyone in the same manner in terms of form and fitness.

“I made it clear there are no guarantees.

“I have to be comfortable when I go to bed at night that I have made decisions solely on footballing grounds rather than personality.”

Having played such a key ambassadorial role in helping secure the Games for London, combined with his unique popularity, Beckham’s omission threatens to seriously weaken national interest in the men’s tournament that gets under way on July 26, the day before the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

It was widely assumed that Beckham’s (pictured above) desperation to end his career by competing at London 2012 would be enough to earn him a place as one of Team GB’s three over-age players, even at the age of 37.

But Pearce said no pressure was put on him to select England’s most iconic footballer of his generation.

“From the offset, when I sat down with the [Football Association] chairman David Bernstein, some time before Christmas, he offered me the opportunity to pick the squad,” he explained.

“If at that stage he had said to me that certain individuals would have to be included I certainly wouldn’t do that job.

“I don’t know any manager worth their salt who would have.

“Right through this process I have had carte blanche to pick whatever players I regard as best.

“I do enough hours watching matches and I think I’ve done due diligence on all the players here.

“And in regard to ticket sales and merchandise: I’m a football man and I pick solely on football ability.

“I have to back my opinion and that’s what I have done.”

Pearce, who travelled to the United States three times to watch Beckham play for LA Galaxy, conceded that the man who holds a record 115 caps for an outfield England player took the news of his exclusion badly.

“I know he had a burning passion to be part of this squad and I understand that [but] I stressed from the start there were no guarantees,” Pearce admitted.

“I take my profession very seriously in terms of legwork.”

Andy Hunt (pictured below, second right), Team GB’s Chef de Mission, insisted he totally supported Pearce’s selection to choose Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards as his three over-age selections, despite the British Olympic Association (BOA) having no initial say in the individual players given the nod.

Beckham, said Hunt, would still almost certainly have some kind of role to play in the Games – yet to be decided.

Chelsea defender Ryan Bertrand’s (pictured above, far right) appearance on the podium as one of the 18-man squad was almost ignored such was the interest in the exclusion of a player 15 years his senior.

Poor Bertrand hardly got a word in edgeways as Pearce fended off a torrent of Beckham-related questioning as well as why there were five Welshmen in the squad but not a single player from Scotland or Northern Ireland.

“I’m not picking on ticket sales or on nationality,” he said.

“These 18 players are Olympians.”

And then it was back to Beckham and probably the most telling remark of Pearce’s at times awkward appearance as he again justified his decision.

Asked why he didn’t pick Beckham for motivational and inspirational reasons if there were insufficient footballing grounds, he replied: “I have no doubt David had a burning ambition to be part of this but so have the others.

“We mustn’t get sidetracked by thinking that David is a stand-alone professional who is desperate to play in the Olympics above anybody else.

“That isn’t the case.”

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