Britain might be regretting leaving David Beckham off soccer team

GLASGOW, Scotland — David Beckham, who once seemed a shoo-in for the British Olympic soccer team, was ultimately passed over by Coach Stuart Pearce. But Pearce may be regretting that decision now, given the lack of interest the soccer competition is drawing in the London Games.

The women’s competition opened Wednesday, two days before the official opening ceremonies, with six matches including a doubleheader in Glasgow that saw the U.S. play France followed by Colombia vs. North Korea.

But 52,000-seat Hampden Park was less than a quarter full 20 minutes before kickoff, and Olympic officials said last week they were recalling 1 million soccer tickets and closing entire sections of some stadiums because of stalled sales brought about by apathy toward the tournaments.

On Tuesday, Pearce held a pre-Games media conference in Manchester in a room prepared to greet 130 journalists. Only seven showed up.

“We should have held it in my bedroom,” Pearce said.

A day earlier Beckham entertained nearly 10 times that many people in an unannounced appearance at a London shopping center. The L.A. Galaxy midfielder, whose absence from the British team has been met with widespread dismay and disappointment, also confirmed this week he will have a role in Friday’s opening ceremonies but wouldn’t say what that role would be.

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