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Team Great Britain (GB) manager Stuart Pearce has said that his decision to not pick David Beckham in the squad for the London Olympics was made purely for football reasons. He stressed that he would not pick any player 'based on sentiment' for his 18-man squad. "Form plays a big part and I don't think there is a manager around who picks on sentiment. I have to be comfortable when I have made decisions based solely on football grounds alone, nothing else," the BBC quoted Pearce, as saying. Pearce also ruled out any possibility of using Beckham in a coaching capacity, although the British Olympic Association (BOA) has been in touch with the LA Galaxy midfielder's representatives about a possible Games role. "We only have seven passes [for backroom staff]. We have no passes for that. The players have to be prepared to come through the door on form alone and that happens to be the case with staffing too. They have their role to play," Pearce added. It had long been anticipated that Beckham would be included as one of the three overage players in the squad following his prominent role in promoting London 2012, but Pearce instead opted for Craig Bellamy, Ryan Giggs and Micah Richards. Pearce said he made it clear when he was appointed as the squad's manager that he would only pick players based on merit, and would not have taken the job if he were not in full control over squad selection.

Pearce insists Becks omitted from Team GB squad for 'football reasons' only