Would a unified Britain have won more than one World Cup?

¹²³ · Feb 11, 2009

Resistance to plans for a unified British soccer team for the 2012 London Olympics means the idea may well be a one-off, if it gets off the ground at all.

The four home nations are wary of setting precedents that could harm their independent status, despite their lack of success as separate entities.

Indeed, all they would have to show in a collective trophy cabinet would be England’s 1966 triumph, which makes me wonder if they might have been better putting national pride aside all along and pooling their resources, as they do in most other sports.

Would a unified team have won more than one paltry World Cup?

As far as recent times are concerned, I think the simple answer has got to be no.

Wales and Scotland have produced some excellent players over the last 40 years, such as Ryan Giggs, Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish. But added to the core of English players I’m assuming would usually form the bulk of a unified side, I don’t think they would have transformed English also-rans into British world beaters.

Dig a bit further into the past though and some interesting scenarios emerge.

Northern Ireland’s George Best is widely regarded as the greatest footballer never to have played at a World Cup. At Mexico in 1970 he would have been part of a British team based on England’s victorious 1966 squad.

Would Best’s presence have prevented the 3-2 defeat England suffered against Germany in the quarter-finals after they blew a two-goal lead?

If so, would the Manchester United combination of Best and Bobby Charlton have outgunned Italy’s Gigi Riva and Gianni Rivera in the semis? And if they had beaten the Azzurri, would they have been a match for the great Brazil side of Pele, Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto in the final?

That’s a lot of ifs for one man but, then again, Best in his prime was exceptional.

A unified side would also have been quite something in the 1950s. In that decade it would have been possible to field England’s Tom Finney, Nat Lofthouse, Billy Wright and Stanley Matthews with the likes of Wales and Juventus forward John Charles and Tottenham Hotspurs’ Northern Ireland wing back Danny Blanchflower.

The 1958 World Cup in Sweden could have been their moment for glory. Matthews had stopped playing international football by that time, but a young Charlton was ready to step in.

1958 is the only World Cup all four home nations qualified for. While England and Scotland got no further than the group stage, Northern Ireland and Wales both reached the quarters, with Wales edged out 1-0 by eventual winners Brazil thanks to a second-half Pele goal.

Personally I don’t think it’s outrageous to suggest that Britain’s combined forces could have made the teenage Pele wait for his first world title. What do you think?
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Colonel Ronan · Feb 11, 2009

We might of, but I think it's out of the question. We're all separate nations. It's like combining Canada, Mexico, and USA...

Hudge · Feb 11, 2009

I think 2002 would have been a real possibility for UK with Wales (Giggs) in the ranks, Ireland (Given) would have been nice aswell

agoo · Feb 12, 2009

I can't speak to what George Best would have offered, but recently, I don't think it would have made a great deal of difference. I think the English team with Craig Gordon or Shay Given in goal would have qualified for Euro 08, but are there that many other players that would crack the English squad? Aiden McGeady might make the bench and Robbie Keane would pick up a few starts, but that's about it. Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane would have had something to offer, but I don't think it would have put them over the top.

Colonel Ronan · Feb 17, 2009

I agree. It won't help presently.

¹²³ · Mar 11, 2009

Team GB soccer side planned for 2012

A Great Britain football team will take part in the London 2012 Olympics even if it consists entirely of English players, sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe insisted on Tuesday.

The issue has become a political and sporting battleground, with the Scottish, Welsh and Irish football associations opposing a joint squad in case it affects the future of their independent national sides.

Sutcliffe told MPs he wanted a team which had the "widest representation" from the UK, but it could be that only the Football Association in England would allow its players to compete.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he wants to see both male and female teams playing in the 2012 games.

Mr Sutcliffe said football's international ruling body FIFA had given written assurances that a UK side in 2012 would not affect the national teams.

But he acknowledged "there has always been and will continue to be a threat to that individuality because of the way FIFA is evolving", irrespective of the 2012 issue.

Speaking in a debate at Parliament's Westminster Hall he said: "What a farce it would be to have those qualification games in Wales and Scotland without the possibility of British participation."

Asked if a purely English team would take the field if the associations in the other home nations boycotted the event, Mr Sutcliffe said: "That is correct and that is the sad fact of what is going to happen unless we can try and resolve this issue."

The debate was opened by the SNP's Pete Wishart (Perth and N Perthshire), who said participation in the "meaningless" Olympic soccer competition could jeopardise the future of the Scotland national side.

"We should do absolutely nothing that would ever threaten our independent football status," he said. "We should never give a hint of a precedent that might be able to be used against us in the future, we should give no reason, no excuse to those who would question our independent footballing status, no succour to those who would seek to end the very generous arrangements we have in the UK."
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