But the FA have been quick to clarify that the appointment does not mean that Pearce will be manager of the propsed Great Britain team to compete in London 2012.

Pearce will travel to Beijing this summer for the Olympics on a fact-finding mission as part of an FA delegation that will also include women's England under-19 coach Mo Marley and chief executive Brian Barwick.

They will check out the format of the competition and the accommodation.

Several leading European managers are criticial of the Olympic football tournament because it deprives them of some of their leading players at the start of the new league season.

Britain could have competed in both the men and women's competitions in Beijing as a result of England's under-21 performance in the European Championships and the women's outstanding display in the World Cup.

But neither invitation was taken up as there is a fear among Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales that if a team competes in the Olympics under a Team GB banner it could compromise their independence in tournmants like the World Cup and European Championships.

Having initially given undertakings that this would not be the case, FIFA President Sepp Blatter complicated matters at a meeting in Scotland in March when he said the four British associations should select only English players for their joint team at the 2012 London Olympics to avoid "endless problems" in the future.

Even the Prime Minister Gordon Brown has become caught up in the row, being criticised in his native Scotland because of his support of a united team.

Pearce, nicknamed Psycho because of his fierce tackling, won 78 caps for England and in 2000 was voted the country's greatest ever left-back in an All-Time XI.

But he is best remembered for missing a penalty in the shoot-out of the 1990 World Cup semi-final against Germany in Italy.