Beckham not selected for the team. Very harsh imo.
David Beckham has not been included in Stuart Pearce’s Team GB squad for London 2012, it has been confirmed.
Beckham, a key figure in the bidding team that helped secure the games for London in 2005, had been expected to be named as one of the three over-23 players Pearce is able to include for the tournament.
The LA Galaxy midfielder had been expected to be named alongside Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy as the three over-age players, however while the two Welshman have been included, Beckham’s spot has gone to Manchester City full-back Micah Richards.
The 24-year-old was a surprise omission from England’s Euro 2012 squad before refusing to go on stand-by for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder has been a heavy presence alongside bid leader Sebastian Coe in promoting the games in recent months, with numerous key bodies, including the BOA, Locog and the Football Association, said to be keen on his inclusion, something Pearce has seemingly ignored.
Beckham admitted that he was disappointed to be left out, however the insisited that he will still be involved in the games as a supporter.
"Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me," he said.
"Everyone knows how much playing for my country has always meant to me. So I would have been honored to have been part of this."
Reports last month suggested Beckham had made Pearce’s provisional squad of around 35 players. The full squad announcement is expected to be made on July 6.
The Olympic football tournament has so far failed to capture the imagination of the public, with over 1 million tickets still available.
Team GB have scheduled a warm-up game against Brazil on July 20 before their opening fixture against Senegal on July 26.
David Beckham has not been included in Stuart Pearce’s Team GB squad for London 2012, it has been confirmed.
Beckham, a key figure in the bidding team that helped secure the games for London in 2005, had been expected to be named as one of the three over-23 players Pearce is able to include for the tournament.
The LA Galaxy midfielder had been expected to be named alongside Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy as the three over-age players, however while the two Welshman have been included, Beckham’s spot has gone to Manchester City full-back Micah Richards.
The 24-year-old was a surprise omission from England’s Euro 2012 squad before refusing to go on stand-by for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder has been a heavy presence alongside bid leader Sebastian Coe in promoting the games in recent months, with numerous key bodies, including the BOA, Locog and the Football Association, said to be keen on his inclusion, something Pearce has seemingly ignored.
Beckham admitted that he was disappointed to be left out, however the insisited that he will still be involved in the games as a supporter.
"Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me," he said.
"Everyone knows how much playing for my country has always meant to me. So I would have been honored to have been part of this."
Reports last month suggested Beckham had made Pearce’s provisional squad of around 35 players. The full squad announcement is expected to be made on July 6.
The Olympic football tournament has so far failed to capture the imagination of the public, with over 1 million tickets still available.
Team GB have scheduled a warm-up game against Brazil on July 20 before their opening fixture against Senegal on July 26.
