The former Manchester City manager is the favourite to be confirmed as the men's coach later this year, with England women's coach Hope Powell likely to take charge of their Olympic team, and the former England and Nottingham Forest skipper confirmed that talks were being carried out over the coaching selections.

"That is something the Football Association and the British Olympic Association (BOA) are in talks about," he told Sky Sports News.

"It is a temporary basis whoever takes it on, whether it be myself or anybody else.

"If you are asking me would I be interested in that role, yes I would."

Pearce won 78 caps during a glittering international playing career, but is best remembered for missing a vital penalty during England's World Cup semi-final against Germany in 1990.

He has managed the England under-21 team since 2007, guiding them to the final of the 2009 European Championships before a 4-0 defeat to Germany.

This year in Denmark, Pearce's squad endured a miserable tournament, exiting at the group stage following a series of uninspiring performances.

But his time in the position means that he is used to some of the players he will be working with at London 2012, as Olympic rules stipulate that football squads can only have three players over the age of 23.

"I have dealt with a lot of players in that age group, certainly the English ones, so it would be a great privilege to be involved with an Olympic side, especially in England," Pearce said.

"The Olympics itself - because it is a one-off, it's not something that happens on a regular basis, football in Great Britain is the national sport of all the nations, so I think it would be a really good opportunity to have a feel-good factor within Great Britain.

"The Olympic Games being on these isles will be a fantastic boost in itself, so personally, if I have got an involvement or not, I think it will be a great opportunity for us to showcase football."


The selection of the squad has been a source of significant controversy, particularly after the BOA announced that it would be made up of English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish players earlier this year, much to the displeasure of the latter three.

The Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish fear that their status as independent FIFA members will be at risk by competing alongside England in 2012, and are reluctant to let their players participate.

However, given that England are likely to be the only British nation competing in the European Championships in Ukraine and Poland next June, any of their players participating in that tournament, such as Wayne Rooney, will not be picked for the Olympics, making it likely that the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey (pictured above), both of whom have said they want to play in London next year, will be selected.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
September 2011: Team GB football squads to set up pre-match camp at Olympic Village
September 2011: I'd definitely play for Britain at the Olympics given the chance, says Scot
June 2011: Former captain claims Scottish players "excited" by chance to play at London 2012
June 2011: Northern Ireland manager backs Team GB and Scots say they want to play at London 2012
June 2011: BOA decision to pick Scottish and Welsh players for Team GB football team sparks anger