Beckham excluded for football reason - Pearce

Stuart Pearce says his decision not to pick David Beckham in his Team GB squad for London 2012 was made purely for football reasons.

Pearce stressed he would not pick any player based on sentiment.

Pearce has named his 18-man squad, leaving out Beckham as expected.

Pearce said form plays a big part and he does not think there is a manager around who picks on sentiment.

Pearce also ruled out any possibility of using Beckham in a coaching capacity, although the British Olympic Association has been in touch with the LA Galaxy midfielder's representatives about a possible Games role.

It had long been anticipated that Beckham would be included as one of the three overage players in the squad, following his prominent role in promoting London 2012.

However, Pearce instead opted for Craig Bellamy, Ryan Giggs and Micah Richards - three players the England Under-21 manager believes will give Team GB their best chance of winning a medal.