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Wales boss Chris Coleman slams Sam Allardyce's calls for a Team GB reunion

Wales manager Chris Coleman has hit back at Sam Allardyce's call for a Team GB football side to play at future Olympic Games.

England boss Allardyce backed the return of a British Olympic football team after men's and women's sides were not entered at Rio 2016.

Great Britain entered teams into London 2012, but the home nation associations insisted that was purely to support the host country and saw the occasion strictly as a one-off.

However, Bill Sweeney, the British Olympic Association's chief executive, was quoted in The Guardian last week as saying that talks were planned "to try and sort that out with the FA'' ahead of Tokyo 2020.

Allardyce entered the debate after Team GB's record-breaking Olympic performance in Rio, telling the BBC: "It's something we may look at in the future and try to compete in.''

But the Football Association of Wales remain strongly opposed to the idea of a Team GB side for fear of losing its independent sovereignty within FIFA.

And Coleman scoffed Team GB would only want one or two of Wales' best players and that it should actually be called the "England Olympic team.''

"Anything that could put what we've got here, what we've built here, in jeopardy, we would not be for that,'' said Coleman, who oversaw Wales' best-ever performance at a major tournament this summer by reaching the semifinals at Euro 2016.

"Why should we mess about with what we've got? For what?

"Just because the Olympics were here they had the team set up. To go to the next Olympics where they've got to play a load of games is not fair on our players.

"We don't owe anything to anyone anyway.

"The one thing we've got around us at the minute -- and you can smell it on us -- is the players have got an identity.

"They put the jersey on and they wear it with pride. That's all our nation has ever wanted.

"They want to see a team on the pitch ready to empty it for the jersey and the badge.

"That's what we've got, so there's no need to mess about with that.''

Coleman said Team GB would only be interested in "cherry-picking'' the best players such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey.

"If you look at it anyway, it's not as if they're picking the best of the best -- it's under-23s and then three overage players,'' said Coleman.

"We know they're only going to take two or three of them. It should be called the England Olympic team really.

"But they'll cherry-pick Baleo or Rambo -- but why should we allow them to take the best and throw them back to us?''

Coleman also believes that Olympic football is detrimental in the modern game.

He said it adds to the excessive workload on the modern player when they are under enough pressure.

"Our boys have a lot of football, what they don't need is another tournament,'' said Coleman.

"It's not just the football, it's being in camp and being away every day.

"There's more pressure and more preparation.

"I don't think it's fair on them, and I'm talking about the England players as well.''

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