Rio Olympics 2016: Sam Allardyce calls for Team GB to enter into football competition at future Games after missing Rio

TEAM GB may have their best Olympics ever – but their absence from the football has disappointed England manager Sam Allardyce.

Big Sam took over the Three Lions hotseat in July after the embarrassment of Euro 2016 and revealed that he was unhappy GB didn’t have a team competing in Rio.

In London 2012 both GB sides were defeated in the quarter-final stage – the men by South Korea and the women by Canada.

Despite an excellent World Cup campaign for England’s women – which guaranteed them an Olympic place – the English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish could not agree to enter a joint team for Rio.

And Allardyce thinks it’s a shame that potential medal winners were denied the chance to compete at what has been a golden Games in Brazil.

He told the BBC when asked if he regretted Team GB’s absence: “I do personally yes.

“I think it’s a fantastic venue, once every four years and to turn it down is a great shame.

“When you see the delight on Justin Rose’s face when he won the gold medal in golf it shows what it all means. It’s something we may look at in the future and try to compete in.”

Brazil took the Gold in the men’s competition with Neymar the hero from the penalty spot, whilst Germany Women triumphed in the Gold medal match with Sweden.

And former British sports minister Sir Hugh Robertson believes that politics played a part in the decision not to enter a team.

He said: “From the British Olympic Committee’s perspective, we would love to see Team GB football.

“It is particularly a powerful tool to promote the women’s game.

"The tragedy is that the politics of football administrators impact on the athletes because women football players would want to be at the Olympics.”