NO Northern Ireland football players should be aiming for Olympic gold at the 2012 Games, it has been claimed.
Supporters of the international side are fearful for the independent status of the four home nations should a united Great Britain team feature at the London showpiece.
Northern Ireland, along with Scotland and Wales fear joint-participation could have consequences for their future existence on the world football stage.
The row has intensified in recent days as British Olympic Association chairman, Lord Moynihan has pledged Great Britain will take part in the football section, despite the growing resistance.
Lord Moynihan has even suggested if necessary England players alone should represent the nation.
Out of the four home associations, only the English FA have responded positively to participation in a sport that Great Britain will not be represented in at the Beijing Games next month.
The Irish Football Association are sceptical about the idea as they believe it could threaten UK involvement in the sport's governing bodies.
The home nations currently occupy four of the eight seats on the body which oversees rule changes, the International FA Board and former IFA president Jim Boyce is pencilled in to be elected FIFA vice-president in 2011.
Supporters' spokesman Gary McAllister believes the risk is too great for Northern Ireland's involvement in a "cosmetic event".
"We are opposed to a GB team because without assurances from FIFA that it won't affect the right of the four separate associations to compete separately and individually at the World Cup and in the European Championships, then we couldn't give it our support," he said.
"The only people in support are the Football Association. England supporters themselves are against it, as are the Irish FA, the Scottish FA and the Welsh FA.
"Really it is up to the British Olympic Committee how they proceed, but we do not think it is in the interests of Northern Ireland football for our participation in what is really a showpiece cosmetic event.
"That is not worth the potential risk to the interests of Northern Ireland and British football as a whole," he added.
Irish FA chief executive Howard Wells is requesting clarification on the issue as a matter of urgency.
"What I have suggested to the home countries is that we should meet fairly urgently, now that the issue has come back onto the table," he said.
"As a matter of courtesy we should invite Lord Moynihan to speak to the four of us and express an opinion or at least tell us whether there are other factors we have not considered."
Earlier this week, London 2012 Organising Committee chairman Lord Sebastian Coe said he had spoken to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson about the possibility of taking charge of a GB team in four years time.