Sir Alex Ferguson was all set to manage Great Britain’s football team at the Olympic Games.
Lord Coe has chosen the 10th anniversary of London 2012 to open the book on an untold story of what might have been. History recalls Stuart Pearce took charge of the host nation’s team, who were KO’d on penalties in the quarter-finals by South Korea.
But Coe, architect of the London Games, revealed Fergie was his first choice – and the legendary Manchester United boss accepted his offer. Chelsea fan Coe said: “We got very close. Alex often wonders whether he missed out on a really good experience.”
He made his move after Team GB was awarded a host nation place which the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish FAs opposed for fear it would set a precedent, forcing the four home nations to field a combined team in future competitions.
A compromise was eventually reached, with the three Celtic countries agreeing to a team of English-based players representing the UK. But sensing an uneasy alliance, Coe hatched a plan. “I came up with the idea of Alex because we were having a bit of fragility around our Celtic cousins,” he added.
“It suddenly occurred to me the one unifying influence would be having a coach who was not necessarily English. It was ostensibly an English team, there were a smattering of non-England players but effectively, it was an English side. I thought, ‘I can’t imagine any club that’s going to release professional players to an Olympic team having a problem with Under-23 players having a six-week tutelage from Alex Ferguson on the training ground.”
Coe mulled the idea in his mind for a while then picked up the phone and dialled a Manchester number. “I rang Bob Charlton and said, ‘Am I out to lunch here?’ He said, ‘No, I’ll tell Alex to give you a call.’ Weeks went by. I was in Tesco in Cobham on a Friday night filling baskets full of food for my kids and I got a call.
“‘Seb, it’s Alex here.’ I threw a load of cash at one of my daughters to keep filling the trolley and started to explain my theory to him. Alex said, ‘Oh, I thought you were looking for tickets!’
“I talked him through the idea. ‘Well, I don’t know.’ There was a gap and then he went, ‘Oh Jesus, I’m already picking the team in my head.’ I said, ‘Listen, I’m not having another conversation with anyone about this. Just have a think about it.’”
Days later Coe was at the BBC SPOTY and saw Ferguson, there to present Sir Bobby Robson with a lifetime achievement award. “After the presentation, Bob and Alex were sitting where I was,” Coe recalled. “Alex looked at me and said, ‘The answer’s yes’. I said ,‘fine’. We said nothing more.”
To this day Coe does not know how word got out, but thinks United may have got wind and had an issue with it, with Ferguson quoted as saying he would not have had time.
United were still represented, with Ryan Giggs as captain and Tom Cleverley a squad mate. But Fergie was the one that got away.
