LONDON – The head of England's Football Association has indicated under-21 coach Stuart Pearce is set to manage an England-only men's soccer team on behalf of Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.
The FA is administering the team and is set to provide all the players. The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish soccer associations won't participate because of fears it would jeopardize their independence and voting rights within FIFA, where the four parts of Britain compete separately.
FA general secretary Alex Horne wants the manager in place by June to give him time to prepare for the Olympics, which start in July 2012.
Horne says it "would be very logical" for Pearce to get the job since the FA is likely to replace England under-21 exhibitions with warmup matches for the Olympic team, which is mostly limited to players under 23.
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