Why Olympic football deserves more support

Juan Mata was among those devastated by Spain's early exit

In his programme notes for the football tournament at London 2012, Sebastian Coe gushes about the "wonderful" game of football and predicts the event will grip the nation.

However, having listened to the critics of Olympic football, it is clear to see not everyone is so happy to see the beautiful game included in the Games.

In all honesty, I was one of those critics.

I felt football, and other sports like tennis, had no place in the Olympics as the Games are clearly not the pinnacle for the competitors.

However, having attended a double-header of men's group stage action at St James' Park on Sunday, my views have changed.

I expected a near-empty stadium and a dead atmosphere for Japan vs Morocco and Spain vs Honduras, but I could not have been more wrong.

Around 26,500 seats were sold, so the stadium was only around half-full, but it seemed like a lot more were there.

Japan flags and banners were draped across St James' Park and the noise generated by their fans was tremendous.

There was also a pocket of Morocco supporters as well as fans of both Spain and Honduras, while supporters from across England also helped to create a special atmosphere.

I saw fans wearing many different shirts, including Huddersfield, Swindon, Reading and Middlesbrough, so clearly this tournament has caught the imagination more than some would have you believe.

On the pitch, there was an incredible amount of passion displayed.

Spain were dumped out of the tournament after a shock 1-0 loss to Honduras and then went on to berate the officials.

Players like Juan Mata, who has won the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and FA Cup, surrounded the referee and were booked as they realised their dream of an Olympic gold medal had drifted away.

Seven of Spain's star-studded team were booked and while this created some ugly scenes, it proved how much the competition meant to some of the sport's top names.

It was astonishing to see such passion and made me wonder why Great Britain hasn't embraced Olympic football in the same way as other countries.

It was a fantastic experience to watch these matches as a neutral in a fun, family atmosphere, and while it may have lacked the intensity of a Premier League game, it was still extremely entertaining.

The crowd were involved in both games.

In the Japan-Morocco clash, a group of Japanese fans with a drum made noise throughout the match, with one supporter even carrying a bed-sheet with the words "clap your hands" across the stadium to encourage locals to join in with the chanting.

Japan progressed to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Morocco

Most of the stadium seemed to be cheering on Spain in the second match, with cries of "Es-pan-a!" consistently heard, but Honduras managed to hold onto a lead given to them by Jerry Bengtson to knock the World and European champions out.

The Hondurans play-acted for much of the second half, but they had an endearing quality and by the end of the match, the "Es-pan-a!" chants had developed into "Hon-dur-as!".

We love an underdog in this country, of course, and it was fantastic to see the joy on the faces of the Honduras players after they realised the enormity of their achievement in beating a team including the likes of Mata, Jordi Alba, Iker Muniain, David de Gea and Javi Martinez.

Japan triumphed 1-0 in the other game to send their fans home happy, and it cost just £20 to buy a ticket to watch both matches.

Nobody would have been asking for their money back after a terrific day at St James' Park.

There were, predictably, some Mexican waves, and while they are usually a huge bugbear of mine, I still found myself joining in.

Looking across the rest of the competition, it was terrific to see Great Britain get their first win of the competition over the United Arab Emirates, with goals from Ryan Giggs, Scott Sinclair and Daniel Sturridge sealing a 3-1 win at Wembley.

Meanwhile, Brazil continue to dazzle with the likes of Neymar, Oscar and Pato, and medals appear to be there for the taking following the elimination of Spain.

Spain did everything but score against Honduras, with the woodwork hit three times and several last-gasp clearances saving the underdogs.

I have been to some huge games as a Newcastle United season ticket holder, including Champions League nights and massive matches under the floodlights, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the Olympic football experience.

I'm looking forward to seeing Brazil on Tyneside later in the week, while they look likely to return to St James' Park for a quarter-final, where a crowd of comfortably more than 40,000 is expected.

The stadium may have just been half-full on Sunday, but the whole experience proved why this country can host a World Cup.

England - or Great Britain in this case - is unique in that it can offer a home for all countries, as was proved in Newcastle with the presence of fans from all four countries, including a relatively small one like Honduras.

The status of the World Cup would ensure stadiums would be full, and judging by the quality of this Olympic double-header, the Olympics deserves similar recognition too.

It may not be the pinnacle of the sport, but it still means a lot.

The FA Cup is not the pinnacle of an English club's season, but that does not matter one bit to a supporter or player of the team which triumphs.

The same applies to Olympic football and the competition does not deserve to be looked down on in the way it has been.

It is the only sport at London 2012 which involves matches taking place across Great Britain, so for many it is the only sport they can attend this summer without spending too much money on travel.

So if you are one of the many Olympic football doubters, try and get yourself along to a game. You might just get a pleasant surprise.