Wenger last month hit out at Olympic football, saying that it was "not a real tournament."

He has a number of players who could be involved in the Games, with Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey particularly vocal about his desire to play for Team GB.

With the Olympics being for players under the age of 23 - although each team is allowed three overage exceptions - Arsenal are in a particularly vulnerable position thanks to having a number of young players in their squad.

As well as Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs would all be in contention to compete for Team GB as they are all 23 or under.

Though the start of the Premier League season cannot take place until the end of the Olympic Games, as the London 2012 organisers gave an undertaking to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that no other major sport would take place in the country during the Games, it is likely to start shortly after the conclusion of the Olympics on August 12.

Wenger though, is determined not to let any of his team play if he can.

"If you look at the organisation of the whole summer, it makes life impossible for the club and for the players, especially," he said.

"I don't know what people think when they organise these competitions.

"I think I will have to practise all summer to play because we will not have any players - it cannot work."

A number of teams, including Barcelona, objected to their players playing in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, with the Spanish side taking their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an attempt to prevent 2009 and 2010 World Player of the Year Leo Messi playing for Argentina.

FIFA rules stipulate that clubs must release players under the age of 23, but although Barcelona won their case, they still allowed Messi to compete after having a change of heart.

Argentina, as well as most of their South American rivals, take the Olympic Games football tournament particularly seriously, though European nations have tended to take a more relaxed approach, especially as the football European Championships are held in the same years as the Olympics.


Walcott and Wilshere in particular are far more likely to compete in that tournament than the Olympic Games.

For Ramsey on the other hand, he is more likely to play as it offers a potentially unique chance for him to compete at a major international tournament, especially as Wales have not qualified for a European Championships or World Cup since 1958.

He has spoken out on Twitter in defence of his public courting of a place in the squad - something the Football Association of Wales (FAW) oppose as they feel it threatens their independence as a FIFA member.

The Wales captain suggested that this independence was not at stake, and sought to calm down anger at his stance by saying: "Relax everyone, there is absolutely no way I would play in the Olympic team if it was going to affect Wales identity as an individual nation!"

Wilshere has also been on the social networking site wading into the Olympic debate, saying: "[I] don't see what the problem is with the best players from Wales, Scotland and Ireland playing for the Great Britain Olympic team.

"This is the Olympics; we should come together and compete because we could win Gold and it's a massive opportunity for us to achieve something together!"

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