Driver would welcome Olympic call-up

WHILE the Scottish Football Association released another statement yesterday expressing its opposition to involvement in Team GB, Scotland hopeful Andrew Driver admitted that he was attracted to the prospect of competing at the London Olympics next summer.

The SFA has sought to educate Scotland players on the issue over the past few months – although they cannot prevent any from taking part – but Driver admitted the chance to feature would be hard to ignore.

“That would be an unbelievable opportunity,” the Hearts winger said when asked about the Olympics at a club media conference yesterday.

“The Olympics is something people work their whole careers for so the chance to play in that would be amazing.

“Team GB has been put out there, I don’t see the problem playing in it if the option is on the table.

“I don’t really know what the SFA is saying, I’ve not really followed the story, but if the option is there I would certainly be open to playing in it.

“Sprinters work their whole career just to race in the Olympics so I don’t think you could turn it down.”

Driver, who turns 24 next month, is struggling to pin down a regular place for Hearts after returning from persistent injury problems so he is a long way from forcing himself into Stuart Pearce’s thoughts for his three over-age players.

The Oldham-born winger played under Pearce for England Under-21s before pledging his future to Scotland after the introduction of the five-year schooling rule.

However, he has yet to play for his adopted country and has presumably missed out on the SFA’s attempts to educate players on what they see as the dangers of taking part.