Beckham left out of Team GB squad for Olympics

David Beckham has been left out of Britain’s Olympic football squad in a huge blow for the former England captain’s hopes of crowning the twilight of his career in style. The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder had been widely expected to be named as one of the three overage players in Stuart Pearce’s Under-23 squad for the London Games in July and August. “Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me,” Beckham, 37, said in a statement Thursday. British media reports said Manchester United’s long-serving Welsh winger Ryan Giggs, Wales striker Craig Bellamy and Manchester City right back Micah Richards, who missed out on England’s Euro 2012 campaign, had been chosen. There was no official word on why Pearce had overlooked Beckham, who has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid as well as AC Milan in a glittering career that has seen him win titles in England, Spain and the United States. He watched Beckham play for the Galaxy after recently having included him in his initial 35-man squad. The announcement for the final 18-man squad is due next week. “I don’t want to be picked on shirt sales or as a stadium filler,” Beckham told reporters last month, adding, “I want to be picked because of what I can bring to the team.” Beckham is England’s most capped outfield player with 115 appearances, but has not played for the national team since 2009. The world famous trendsetter had accepted his time with England was over despite not officially retiring from the international game. As a globally recognized figure, he has had a major role both in London winning the Olympics and in the buildup to the Games, helping bring the flame back from Greece. He had been tipped by media to light the stadium cauldron when the Games begin in his east London birthplace on July 27. While this now looks unlikely, his exclusion from the squad means that it is certain he will not be the British flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Critics who believe football is unwelcome at the Games because of the vast sums of money professionals earn had said they would be uncomfortable with the Olympics becoming a “David Beckham show.” The Olympic football tournament, originally designed for amateurs but now the only Games event to have an age limit, is not so highly regarded in Europe where the World Cup and European Championships are seen as the elite contests. However, Olympic football is immensely popular among South American players. Hosts Britain, taking part in their first Olympic football finals since 1960, will kick off their bid for gold against Senegal at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium on July 26. The Welsh Football Association, along with the Scots and Northern Irish, have worried that the inclusion of their players in a rare British squad could affect their football independence. The Daily Star