The olympics site says simply that: "The UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 served as the olympic qualifying competition. Netherlands, the tournament hosts and holders, retained the trophy to lead a quartet that also included beaten finalists Serbia and Belgium. With the other semi-finalists, England, ineligible to compete in the Olympics, a play-off between Italy and Portugal on 21 June provided the Azzurrini with the fourth and final qualiying slot."

Logically I think this has something to do with us being part of the U.K. and competing as great britain, but then again, arent the England women competing in china this summer?

Anyway, if you cant tell im not the biggest olympics fan, and this is the first time ive ever really payed attention to it mind you, well except for the time ice dancers Torville and Dean skated their way into my heart, but thats a different and much more sensitive subject.

Who else thinks we should put together an "all UK" side and send them to china?

The reason that England do not have an Olympic football (soccer) team is as you suggested a result of the fact that in the Olympics we compete as Great Britain.

The Olympic Association would actually welcome a team from GB but the English as well as the other home nations FA's are very keen to remain independent of each other. Their concern is if we send a GB team to the Olympics then maybe FIFA would want us to send a GB team into the qualifiers for the European and World cup's.....Possibly even merge the domestic leagues as well.