World Cup in Qatar: That's why England, Wales and Scotland participated, not the United Kingdom

The World Championships in Qatar are in full swing, but not everyone knows why England and Wales Not under the flag of Great Britain

In the European Championships, the FIFA World Cup and the Six Nations Rugby Championship, Each British country has its own national team. But in the Olympic Games, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland participate as the United Kingdom. The stranger who comes from afar.

Legend has it that in 1823in college Football, In the province WarwickshireIn England, during a match, the student William Webb Ellispossession of the ball With his hands, he carries it beyond the opponent's goal line He invented another sport and from that day the game that depends on the use of the lower limbs took the name “”soccer” And the other “Football”.

Football is coming home

Football is an ancient sportThere are testimonies about a similar sport that he practices Gypsiesdey Greeks Passing through Atzikima Pagan rituals as we know them We are very modern. the The first football club Modern history is Notts County Which was founded in 1862while The first football association It was there that it was established English Football Associationwho was born the following year, in 1863. But when big events e.g world Cup Or him European Football Championships And the world where is he Six Nations RugbyWe realize that there is a difference United kingdom Each of them represents himself with his national team during his time in Olympic Games In many other Olympic sports, athletes in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland present themselves as Great Britain. A clear contradiction, but it has an explanation that comes from a very distant perspective.

Unrecognized law

It all started in 1863When the first football association in history and in the world was established, the FIFA English. But at the time, its definition was unclear, as it did not specify whether it also included football played in Scotland or Wales, for example. like, After ten years of uncertainty the Scots decided to form their own union A few years later The Welsh and then the Irish did the same.

When you are in 1904 was established The largest football organization in the worldFIFA, accepted The four representatives of the land of Albion separately Since it has already been divided into four federations and thus into four independent national teams. This is because the regulations are in fact set by individual 'local' associationsIt was later acquired by FIFA and the IRB (FIFA's counterpart to oval ball sports), so at the time of affiliation, the English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish associations had their own maintenance Sports autonomy.

The Olympics are a different committee

When the International Olympic Committee was born, international Olympic Committee, All other subsequent sports in the United Kingdom became affiliated with Great Britain, That's why they can participate as one national team. So athletes from Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland today always compete under the flag of the English Olympic Committee in the United Kingdom. Privacy is that anyway In the first editions of the Olympic Games, representatives from the United Kingdom participated, composed differently. These actors They went on to win gold in 1900, 1908 and 1912. But since then everyone has gone their own way.