Pearce: If I was forced to pick Beckham for Team GB I wouldn't have taken the job

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UPDATED:

15:21 GMT, 2 July 2012

Stuart Pearce confirmed there was no
political pressure on him to select Beckham for his Team GB Olympic
squad – and would not have accepted the job if there had been.

As
expected, the omission of Beckham – a key figure in the London 2012 bid
process and beyond – somewhat overshadowed the naming of the 18 players
who will line up at the Games.

It
was widely expected that Beckham's star quality and devotion to the
Olympic cause would have been enough to earn him one of the three
over-age spots in Pearce's squad.

Not selected: Stuart Pearce decided not to bring David Beckham to the Games

'From
the offset, when I sat down with the (Football Association) chairman
David Bernstein, some time before Christmas, he offered me the
opportunity to pick the squad,' he said.

'If at that stage he had said to me that
certain individuals would have to be included I certainly wouldn't do
that job. I don't know any manager worth their salt who would have.

Boss: Pearce said he picked on merit not sentimentality

'Right through this process I have had carte blanche to pick whatever players I regard as best.

'I do enough hours watching matches and I think I've done due diligence on all the players here.

'And
in regard to ticket sales and merchandise: I'm a football man and I
pick solely on football ability. I have to back my opinion and that's
what I have done.'