Stuart Pearce faced monumental backlash over his decision to omit David Beckham from his Team GB squad at London 2012 – with many feeling Becks' campaigning efforts to help London win the bid in the first place warranted him a squad number.
“The one thing you do know about David Beckham is he's very passionate about playing for his country,” Pearce tells FourFourTwo now. “On top of that, he was very passionate about wanting to represent the GB Olympic team at London 2012.
“I admired him for that, and I admired his professionalism and everything he did to help bring the Olympic games to this country in the first place as well.
Pearce: 'I didn't think David Beckham was good enough for my Olympic squad in 2012 - it was a straightforward question'
Pearce has called his decision to omit the legendary former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder out of his Olympics squad as "one of the toughest decisions" he ever made in football.
"For me, it was a straightforward question to myself: did I think he was good enough to be in my Olympic squad of 18? The answer was no, and I had a duty of care to the nation to pick the strongest possible squad – unfortunately, that was without him.
“He wanted to play, he was desperate," former defender Pearce remembers. “Was he disappointed that he wasn't picked in the squad? Yes, he was, but I wanted to pick the strongest squad and, in my opinion, I did that. So it was a conversation I had with him over the phone before we flew off to train and prepare on the west coast of America.
“I didn't see it appropriate to bring him along and waste the FA’s money just to explain in person that he wasn’t going to be in the Olympic squad.
“I had Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs as the over-age players in his position. It was a straightforward decision. I hadn’t made David any promises. All of the potential over-age players knew they’d either be in my squad or out of it. It would be judged on form and I was as clear-cut as I could be."
Pearce selected Micah Richards as his third and final overage player, adding them to a squad of youngsters including the likes of Jack Butland, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and Daniel Sturridge.
Results at the tournament were poor, with Team GB getting eliminated at the quarter-final stage by South Korea in a penalty shootout. Those tepid showings did nothing to quell the feeling that Beckham should have been a part of the side.
Team GB has not entered a side into the men's football since London 2012, with many fans calling for organisers to reinstate the team ahead of the LA 2028 Games.
Pearce was speaking to FourFourTwo as a representative of the FA and E.ON's 'Greener Game’ initiative, which empowers grassroots clubs by providing them with a wealth of educational resources, energy-saving guides, and investment opportunities for sustainable upgrades.
"It's an initiative that's going to last for five years, so it's not boom and bust," explains Pearce, who made his name as a tough-tackling full-back in the lower leagues before making it in England's top flight. "That was music to my ears to be quite honest with you. I spoke to E.ON and they’re going to visit 100 clubs to see how they can make them greener and more financially sustainable.
"Their target is to introduce solar panels and batteries and all those types of things, which could be huge, especially with the costs of energy going up. Clubs can save money and then use it elsewhere, improving facilities and youth coaching and all sorts. Whole communities could benefit from this initiative and I think it can only be a good thing."
