Clarke’s Tokyo hope for Team GB women
FA CHAIRMAN Greg Clarke has been given the credit for a change of attitude by the ruling body that has significantly increased the chances of a Team GB women’s football side competing in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
The other home nations, who rejected hopes of Team GB football at Rio 2016, have as a first step at least agreed to discuss the subject at a meeting at Wembley today ahead of the FA hosting the annual rule-making IFAB summit tomorrow.
And Clarke’s travels to Scotland, Ireland and Wales have started to shift previously entrenched positions about not wanting to jeopardise footballing independence — despite numerous FIFA guarantees that it wouldn’t. Clarke has done it by shutting the door on any GB men’s ambitions due to club complications over releasing players and focusing entirely on a women’s Olympic team.
Clarke is also pushing for it to be a full home-nations collaboration as well as the permanent FA position on the British Olympic Association changing to either an elected seat or a rotational one. Scotland remain hardest to convince. But even if they do not back Team GB women’s football, they will not prevent Scottish players taking part.
ENGLAND Test cricket’s leadership duo Joe Root and Ben Stokes have shown an empathy with the game at large by donating £500 each towards the recovery of club cricketer Alex Tait (right), who suffered 15 head fractures after being hit by a cricket ball while bowling in the nets. Stokes’ online message concluded: ‘Should have caught it’. JULIE HARRINGTON, a formidable operator and currently lead FA executive for both Wembley Stadium and St George’s Park, is understood to be a strong contender for the chief executive role at British Cycling. That is certainly going to be a female appointment to combat the allegations of a sexist culture within the organisation.
THE reasons for MCC chief executive Derek Brewer’s decision to retire at 60, before the 2019 World Cup final is staged at Lord’s in a showcase season including an Ashes series, are understood by MCC high-ups to include his relationship with MCC chairman Gerald Corbett not being all sweetness and light.