Jason Rose writes for the University of York’s Yorker in the merits of the football on offer at this summer’s Olympics:

This month saw Ronaldo (World Cup winner and Olympic bronze medallist) taking part in a draw to identify all of the group stage matches of this year’s Olympic Football (both male and female matches). But with the Euro 2012 competition coming up, and with the next World Cup only two years away, does the event really have any significance?

The short answer is yes – Sergio Aguero has said that winning a gold medal is a “unique” and “incredible” experience, and Ronaldo stated that his bronze medal was one of his “greatest achievements”; high praise from footballers who have been in the thick of it in almost all major competitions. Despite the popularity of the event among players, it is less watched than many Olympic events and both the Euro and World Cup competitions.

But why will it be good? Well, firstly, the answer is that it is the only competition in which the team that we support will unify Great Britain, with players chosen from each nation.

Full article here.