Leeds United ace Daniel James angers whole of Wales with comments today
Daniel James will not have endeared many Wales fans after what the Leeds United winger said about appearing at the 2028 Olympics.
The Sun journalist Phil Cadden posted on X (2 October) what James told him about the possibility of appearing for a combined Team GB football team at the Los Angeles Games.
James, who will be 30 by the time the next Olympics take place, declared an interest in representing Team GB and emulating current Wales manager Craig Bellamy, who did so at London 2012.
The Whites wideman said: “Not many people can say they have been to an Olympics so if a chance arises, I’d be more than interested.”
Leeds United star Daniel James will have damaged Wales popularity
While James' career at Elland Road has – as the song goes – been full of ups and downs, his form in the Championship last season has made him one of the first names on Daniel Farke's team sheet when fit.
The same applies to his time in the red shirt of Wales, with the Hull-born winger missing the crucial penalty against Poland which saw the Dragons miss out on a place at Euro 2024 last summer.
Saying that he'd be keen on representing a Britain-wide team in four years' time, however, won't have done James' reputation amongst Welsh fans any favours, given the past resistance to Team GB.
Indeed, many in Wales are still furious at the decision to let the nation's players link-up with the Great Britain squad 12 years ago.
Although Wales boss Bellamy's appearance at the 2012 Olympics – as one of five Welsh players in an otherwise English 18-man squad – hasn't been held against him, James' comments may well be.
An English-born Welsh international saying he's keen to represent all four countries of the UK could set alarm bells ringing, and James will have to shine for the Dragons if he's to get back in fans' good books.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites have agreed an extension to their sponsorship deal with a billion-pound international company.
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