Was that Ronaldinho at the Olympics?

It goes beyond logic that as a host island in 2012 we've not managed to battle a way through the pomp and the politics in order to ensure that the Great Britain football team is represented at the most famous sporting event in the world. I mean, it's not like we invented the sport, is it?

Whether it's the fault of Blatter or the constituent Football Associations, we really should be in a place where our footballers have the choice to showcase their wares, should they wish to.

Okay, there might be a heavy England bias in the team, and there will be a few footballers who won't want to risk injury - maybe even Michael Ricketts will get a game? But to have no representation for the most famous sport of them all is lunacy.

Managers like Alex Ferguson will bleat on about potential injuries, but he doesn't mention the benefit of experience, and unlike the African Cup of Nations, the Olympics won't rob Harry Redknapp of 34 of his first-team squad.

And if you think players don't care, I wonder how many of United's would gladly swap their Community Shield medals from last weekend in order to be classed as Olympians? Makes you think ..