IOC president Rogge defends Pearce's right to omit Beckham

IOC president defends Pearce's decision to omit Beckham from Team GB squad

Jul 5, 2012 12:10:00 AM

The former England captain had been considered a shoo-in for selection because of the integral role he had played in bringing the Olympic Games to London

IOC president Jacques Rogge has defended Stuart Pearce's decision to leave David Beckham out of his Team GB squad for this summer's Olympics.

The former England captain's exclusion has made a lot of headlines, not least because the 37-year-old LA Galaxy midfielder played a key role in bringing the Games to his native London.

Pearce insisted that he had selected his squad solely on footballing grounds, and Rogge feels that the boss' decision to omit Beckham should be respected.

"The head coach is the head coach," he told CNN. "If the head coach decides not to field the player, that's the end of it.

"This is not an issue for sentiment; it's not an issue for nostalgia; it's about being the best athlete in the world in your own place, in your own sport.

"He's [Beckham] done a great job in bidding for the Games; he's a great personality; he's a very likeable person - but it's the law of sport."

Beckham, who was capped 115 times by his country, joined the Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007 and signed a new deal with the MLS outfit earlier this year.

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