London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham says suggestions he would play for Team GB to sell shirts is disrespectful

The 37-year-old LA Galaxy midfielder and former England captain was a key member of London’s winning bid to host the London 2012 Games and has always said he will fight for a place to compete at the Olympics. He is set to be one of the three over-age players allowed in the squad, but he argued he would be picked on merit not because of glamour, newspaper sales or because he is a bigger commercial hitter.

Arriving with the Princess Royal to light the first Olympic flame on UK soil at RNAS Culdrose, Beckham said: “Whenever I have been asked about shirt sales or filling stadiums it has always felt a bit disrespectful. Throughout my career I have been pretty successful, I’ve played for some pretty big teams, represented my country quite a few times, and played for managers without sentiment.

“When you play for Sir Alex Ferguson, Fabio Capello, Sven-Goran Eriksson or other managers that I have played under, they don’t pick players because they want to fill a stadium or particularly to sell shirts.

“I have always found it an honour that people have wanted to buy my shirt and an honour that fans turn up to watch the team I am playing in. But no, I don’t want to be picked for shirt sales or as a stadium-filler, I want to be picked for what I can bring to the team. That has been the case throughout my career and I don’t want that to change.” He said he could offer invaluable experience to a young Olympic side.

Beckham’s high-profile role in the torch relay has garnered some criticism because he was representing a corporation – Samsung – rather than his 115 international caps after he arrived with a host of dignitaries to celebrate the arrival of the torch for the first of its 70 days, 8000-mile journey around the country.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games chief executive Paul Deighton defended the involvement of Samsung, Coca-Cola and Lloyds TSB as partners of the torch relay, denying that it was over-commercialising the concept. “I think we have struck the right balance there,” he said, describing the torch relay as the “golden thread uniting the country”.

A Sea King helicopter, the type flown by the Duke of Cambridge Prince William will be centre stage of the relay when it arrives at Land’s End early this morning to kick-start running legs of the relay. But officials say Prince William won’t be anywhere near the torch, with the helicopter instead flown by 771 squadron lieutenant commander Martin Shepherd.

Lieutenant commander Rich Full has been selected to carry the flame from the helicopter for the first torchbearer, Olympic gold-medal winning sailor Ben Ainslie at 7am. He will pass the flame to 18-year-old surfer Tassie Swallow from St Ives who is keen for her sport to become part of the Olympic programme in the first of 8000 torch ‘kisses’ on UK soil before the flame arrives at the Olympic stadium on July 27 for the Games’ opening ceremony.

Shadow Olympics minister Tessa Jowell told The Daily Telegraph: “It feels like this is the celebration that we were denied because of the 7/7 bombings, we have been waiting seven years for this kind of moment.”

Members of the Met Police’s 70 strong torch relay team slept overnight on the naval base to guard the flame and the Ministry of Defence protection unit who guard dignitaries were also in attendance.

Naval officers had tested the runway length at Culdrose two months ago to ensure that the specially painted British Airways plane would have sufficient landing room on the base that is normally used for helicopters.

Many of the navy officers were also keen to meet Beckham, but that greeting was restricted to 500 specially-invited guests of the navy including 100 local schoolchildren.

Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Chris Allison, in charge of Olympic security, said everyone was excited that the torch relay was finally underway. He revealed that so far, no groups had approached the police to request assistance with planned protests.

But assistant commissioner Allison warned protesters that while freedom of expression was a democratic right in the country, it did not give people the right to interfere with the torch or torchbearers.

David Beckham on Friday night dismissed as “disrespectful” suggestions that his selection for the Great Britain football team would be purely for commercial reasons.

Hot property: David Beckham holds the Olympic torch during the ceremony in Cornwall marking its arrival from Greece Photo: AP

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