Events off the field, rather than on the field, are dominating headlines in British sport right now.

In July 2005, soon after London was awarded the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games, the world’s biggest sporting event, the British Olympic Association (BOC) mooted the idea of fielding a Great Britain football team, comprising of footballers born in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to compete with a host of other countries in the sport of football.

Six years down the line and hindsight has proved that the idea might have only been a means for the English FA to flex its muscles and get one over its longstanding rival, FIFA.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been blocking plans behind Team GB because they don’t want to jeopardise their status as separate teams in UEFA and FIFA events.

History has shown that relations between the four home nations have, at best, been far from straightforward and it is highly unlikely that they’ll improve in a few months’ time.

A “landmark” agreement was said to have been reached last week between the four countries by the BOC. Controversy soon erupted when the Welsh and Scottish Football Associations denied these claims.

However, as far as the English FA is concerned, it is a done deal. Since then, the head of the Scottish FA admitted he is powerless to stop the association’s players from being selected for Team GB.

It is sad that preparations for next year’s Olympic Games have been tarnished by pitiful politics.

If even one of the four home nations is behind the idea of a Team GB, then the BOC should scrap the idea.

If Team GB does materialise, then we have to ask: Who will be its manager? On what criteria will the players be chosen? Will the English FA accept a Scottish, Welsh or Northern Ireland player to captain the team? Or does it have to be David Beckham? These are far from straightforward questions.

The English FA has to be more understanding. The purpose of the Olympic Games was supposed to unite Britain. If this bickering continues, it will do anything but that.

At a time of spending cuts and unprecedented austerity measures, the British public is eagerly anticipating the start of the Olympic Games, seeing it as a chance to bolster support and ignite fervour among its people, and as a chance for sport to finally take precedence over Britain’s economic woes.

But politics has already got one over sport. Let’s hope it will not continue in the build-up to London 2012 and its aftermath.