Seb Coe, the former chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson was close to managing the Team GB football squad at the London 2012 Olympics. Coe wanted the former Manchester United boss to lead out the men’s British football team, which was a mix of Under-23s Premier League and Championship stars plus three over-aged members. The pair held several conversations during the 2007-08 season – including one in a supermarket aisle – and Ferguson agreed to the proposal. However, in the end, Fergie never took on the role, and Stuart Pearce, then the England Under-21s chief, ended up leading out the players on home soil a decade ago.
