Team GB: Jess Fishlock says Team GB coach should not be home nations boss
- Published
Team GB lost to Canada in the quarter-finals of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Agreement could not be reached on fielding a side in 2016
Wales midfielder Jess Fishlock believes the Team GB coach for the Olympics in Tokyo should not be the national team boss of any of the home nations.
Team GB's women's football team will feature at next year's rescheduled Games, having not played at Rio 2016.
No announcement has been made on who will lead the side with the Football Association saying a choice will be made "in due course".
"It shouldn't be someone from the home nations," Fishlock said.
The lack of clarity on who will lead is because Netherlands women's manager Sarina Wiegman will succeed Phil Neville as England's head coach next September.
Neville is under contract until July 2021, with the Games set to run from 23 July to 8 August.
England's World Cup semi-final finish secured a place in the tournament for the first time since 2012 and it had been expected Neville would manage the team.
Team GB coach Hope Powell picked 16 English players for her squad at the London 2012 Olympic Games, with two Scottish players making up her group of 18.
The decision was seen as surprising at the time with Fishlock overlooked, but Powell, who has been England manager for 14 years, said she "didn't feel any pressure to include players from Northern Ireland or Wales".
OL Reign midfielder Fishlock, who will return to the Women's Super League this season after joining Reading on loan, is understood to be in contention to make the squad for Japan, alongside compatriot Sophie Ingle, the Chelsea defender who captains Wales.
Neville selected an expanded Great Britain squad that will be whittled down to a final 18 players. It is understood all four home nations are represented on the longlist.
Fishlock thinks any international manager will ultimately favour players from that nation, but believes Neville leaving his role could make it easier for him to take charge.
"I've always said - and maybe this is because of what happened before - it shouldn't be someone from the home nations because I think there's a subconscious bias which I totally understand," she said.
"But Phil's not going to be the England manager going forward so maybe he won't have that pressure with regard to picking the England players.
"I always thought it would be hard for him to not pick an English player for the Olympics and then say to them: 'I need you for the Euros.'
"It's a really hard position for anybody to be in.
"I wouldn't like to be that coach. I don't think anybody would like to be in that situation."
Fishlock admits there is no ideal situation with whoever ends up managing the side.
Though players from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will all be eligible, only England's FA has shown enthusiasm for the tournament.
Team GB reached the quarter-finals at London 2012, but did not enter a team for the Rio 2016 Olympics because the four home nation football associations could not reach an agreement.
Fishlock thinks selecting a coach from outside of the UK could be a solution, with the quality of player available meaning Team GB can realistically target a gold medal.
"I think it's really hard to bring in a third party who just comes in and picks a team," she added.
"So we have to wait. But it's a really hard thing to ask any national coach to not pick some of their players. I wouldn't ever want to be in that position at all.
"It would be fun if it wasn't anyone from home nations, as there's a different view of it then.
"But I've said all along there's no doubt GB can win it - it's just a case of getting the team right."
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There is little enthusiasm for Welsh participation in the Olympics among the Wales fanbase, with Football Association chief executive Jonathan Ford saying it will be up to the nation's players to decide whether or not they want to participate.
Fishlock, Wales' most capped player, has never played in a major international tournament and says Tokyo would be appealing, even though it would mean more to her to qualify for Euro 2021 with Wales.
"I think anybody would like to be involved," she said of the Olympics.
"I've got belief in my ability, but my focus right now is just playing.
"And obviously the Euros with Wales is more important. Would I rather qualify for the Euros? Yes.
"But I don't think anybody is thinking about a major tournament's now; they're just thinking about playing; it's been so long, we just want to be playing."