ALTHOUGH the pandemic may have the final say, preparations are now at an advanced stage for the GB women's side which will compete at the Tokyo Olympics. England, who qualified for the tournament by finishing fourth at the World Cup, are unable to compete in their own right.

Sending a British football team to Japan is highly controversial as, no matter how remote it might appear, it opens the door for other countries to challenge the independent footballing status of the four home nations. Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England compete under their own names at World Cups and European Championships, but it's a historical privilege which could be challenged within FIFA at any time.

Throwing a British football team into the mix increases that possibility.

Glasgow Times:

Which is why, after GB women's and men's teams competed at the London Olympics, it would have been wise to call it a day. That indeed was the narrative which was sold at the time; 2012 would be a one-off because it was a home Games.

This, however, wasn't good enough for the Football Association, who wasted no time trying to resuscitate a women's Team GB. They wanted the side to compete at the Rio Olympics in 2016, but were rebuffed by the Scottish FA and their Welsh and Northern Irish counterparts.

Despite having taken this stance, all three then capitulated to the FA's proposal to send a team to Tokyo. The rationale was that, despite not being supportive of Team GB, they didn't want to stop their players having the opportunity to take part.

That questionable thinking leaves the Football Association enjoying the best of both worlds. They get to pick the top non-English players while having full control of the selection process and every other aspect of the project – even if they do keep the other three associations informed of developments.

Evidence that Team GB is essentially England in disguise was all too obvious when the FA held a press conference on Wednesday. It was to confirm that the England interim manager, Hege Riise, will perform the same function in Tokyo.

Glasgow Times:

The Norwegian, an Olympic gold medallist herself in 2000, is very well qualified for the role, but there was no open recruitment process. Also, her appointment was only rubber-stamped after the England players had been consulted for their approval.

The Olympic project is being driven by the FA's director of women's football, Sue Campbell. Or, as she is known in the House of Lords, Baroness Campbell of Loughborough.

Glasgow Times:

As a former chair of UK Sport Campbell is steeped in the Olympic culture, so her determination that a women's football team should go to Japan is entirely predictable. The clincher that England and Team GB are essentially one and the same came when she responded to a question about the aspirations for the side in Tokyo.

“The Football Association has launched a new national strategy which is very clear that one of the major game-changers in the next six years is the men's and women's teams winning a major tournament,” Campbell responded. “This is a major tournament.”

So, there we have it. If Team GB lands Olympic gold it will have ticked the FA's box of “their” women's side winning a major tournament.

A longlist of 35 players to be considered for the Games has been compiled and, being so large, should include several non-English players. It will, however, be a different story when the final squad of 18 is announced in May – Campbell confirmed on Wednesday that the majority will be from England.

On that basis, and taking into account current form, Caroline Weir should be a certainty for Tokyo, with Erin Cuthbert also having a very realistic chance. Beyond that the prospects of other Scots being involved are probably fairly slim – the England players need tough competitive games ahead of next year's Euros on home soil and Japan provides that opportunity.

Glasgow Times:

Just to be clear, given that Team GB has been given the go-ahead by the SFA, any Scottish players selected should have no qualms about accepting. I was fortunate enough to work for this newspaper at the Sydney and Beijing Olympics, and they were unforgettable, life-enriching experiences.

Tokyo, however, won't provide the same global camaraderie and occasion. Recent opinion polls indicate that a majority of Japanese people want the Games cancelled because of the pandemic, and even if they do proceed restrictions will inevitably be very tight.

A GB women's football team in Tokyo was never a good idea from a Scottish perspective. It seems an even more unnecessary enterprise now.