Coleman slams Allardyce's Team GB bid

Allardyce backed the return of a British Olympic football team after men's and women's sides were not entered at Rio 2016.

Great Britain teams competed in London 2012, but the home nations insisted that was a one-off to support the host country.

However, Bill Sweeney, the British Olympic Association's chief executive, says talks were planned "to try and sort that out with the FA" ahead of Tokyo 2020.

Allardyce entered the debate after Team GB's record-breaking Olympic performance in Rio and said: "It's something we may look at in the future and try to compete in".

But the Football Association of Wales remain opposed to the idea of a Team GB side for fear of losing its independent sovereignty within FIFA and Coleman hit back at the idea on Wednesday.

"Anything that could put what we've got here, what we've built here, in jeopardy, we would not be for that," said Coleman, who oversaw Wales' best-ever performance at a major tournament when they reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals in France.

"Why should we mess about with what we've got? For what?

"Just because the Olympics were here they had the team set up. To go to the next Olympics where they've got to play a load of games is not fair on our players.

"We don't owe anything to anyone anyway".

Coleman said Team GB would only be interested in "cherry-picking" the best players such as Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

"If you look at it anyway, it's not as if they're picking the best of the best - it's Under-23s and then three over-age players," Coleman said.

"We know they're only going to take two or three of them. It should be called the England Olympic team really.

"But they'll cherry-pick Baleo or Rambo - but why should we allow them to take the best and throw them back to us?"