Progress on 2012 GB football team

An England football team could play as Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, following agreement from the other home nations not to block the idea.

A joint letter has been sent to Fifa, which has yet to ratify the proposal, saying that Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales would have no involvement.

But it goes on to say they would not prevent England from fielding a team.

Scottish FA spokesman Rob Shorthouse said: "I think the English are going to go it alone."

The development should ultimately see the end of a dispute that has raged since 2005, when London won the right to host the Games.

However, any formal announcement or confirmation is not expected until next week at the earliest, and would need to be signed off by the British Olympic Association and International Olympic Committee, as well as Fifa.

Football's world governing body had set a deadline of the end of May for the four home nations to come to an agreement over Olympic representation.

And last-ditch talks between the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FAs this week has finally led to a breakthrough in the long-running saga.

We'll continue our discussions with the home nations and also speak to people at the Fifa congress next week SFA spokesman Rob Shorthouse

A document has been prepared by the SFA and sent to the other bodies, which if followed through would pave the way for England to represent Great Britain on a one-off basis.

BBC Sport understands this would most likely take the form of an England Under-23 team (with two over-age players), rebadged as GB in both the men's and women's competitions

But the SFA's acceptance of the plan has already led to one member of Scotland's Parliament calling for the resignation of the Scottish governing body's chief executive, Gordon Smith.

The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish had feared their independence in world football would be under threat if they united with England to play a British team at the Olympics.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has given mixed messages, suggesting at one point that the dispute itself was damaging their position, but those concerns now appear to have been resolved.

The SFA was angry last week with FA chairman Lord Triesman, accusing him of breaking an agreement for the issue to remain confidential until a deal was signed.

And that led to fears the SFA board meeting on Tuesday would reject any move to allow an Olympic team.

However, an agreement was reached amid fears that a continuing row would damage the home nations' international reputations.

"Fifa had asked us to come to some sort of common decision amongst the four home nations by the end of this week - so that, when the Fifa congress meets next week, this deal was all done and dusted," said Shorthouse, who said talk of an agreement was still premature.

"We have not been able to come to a common agreement because England want to take part and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland don't.

"Our stance has not changed. We will not be taking part in Team GB.

"England do want to go ahead. They are under unique pressure with the Olympics being in their home country.

606: DEBATE Should GB field a team?

"The debate is around whether we make a real issue about England going alone.

"So, over the past week or so, while we have been having discussion with the home nations, we have also been speaking to people around the world and just trying to take the temperature of people and what they think of England fielding a team by themselves.

"The word that is coming back is that we should let them do that.

"We have to preserve our independent status as a member of Fifa. We are sticking to our guns.

"I think the English are going to go it alone. We'll continue our discussions with the home nations and also speak to people at the Fifa congress next week."

SNP MSP Christine Grahame, who chairs the Scottish Parliament's health and sport committee, has called for SFA chief Smith to consider his position, arguing that a Team GB posed a threat to the future of Scottish football and could damage the Scottish economy regardless of whether it was made up entirely of Englishmen.

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