Britain will not be represented by any national soccer teams at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after the English Football Association (FA) failed to gain support from fellow Brit nations Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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According to the English FA, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were against a united British team — similar to that of the one-off coalition that competed at the 2012 London games — saying another unified crusade could put their independence within FIFA at risk.
Without the support of all four British nations, FIFA vice president Jim Boyce said the organization would not sanction a partial Britain team.
The Under-21 European Championship, which runs from June 17-30 in the Czech Republic, will serve as UEFA’s qualifying process to determine the continent’s four 2016 Olympics representatives.