FAI officials are considering a request from the IFA to replace England in a newlook tournament.

The tournament would mean competitive fixtures would be played by each participating nation on weeks such as the one ahead - while Steve Staunton's side play a Euro 2008 qualifier against San Marino, Northern Ireland take on Wales in a friendly, and Scotland have a training camp.

The original British Home Championship, last held in 1984, featured England but the FA are said to be uninterested in the idea.

Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez is in no doubt why McClaren's side will demure. "I don't think England would partake, as their getting beaten by Northern Ireland leaves the manager's job on the line. It's considered a disaster to lose to ourselves. So if England don't want to take part, we could have a Celtic league with an invitation to the Republic. It would be a good competition.

"Friendlies are being edged out of the calendar and the public want to see games which mean something, not games with half-a-dozen substitutions."

IFA chief executive Howard Wells and president Jim Boyce are very much in favour of the tournament and lobbying between the associations is taking place.

An English FA spokesman pointed to scheduling problems as the reason for their lack of enthusiasm for the new competition.

"We only have two or three friendlies a year and it's difficult to see how the Home Nations would fit in, " he said.

"We also try to play nonEuropean opposition to prepare for the World Cup."

The tournament would be held on friendly dates spread over two seasons and could start as early as August 2008.

The proposal means the first competitive Republic v Northern Ireland game for 12 years is on the cards. The last competitive match between the two sides was a 1-1 Lansdowne Road draw in a March 1995 qualifier for Euro '96, although Northern Ireland did win a 1999 friendly 1-0.

FAI chief executive John Delaney is understood to cautiously favour the new 'Four Nations' and has embarked on discussions with coach Steve Staunton and the FAI board. "It's certainly one of the options we're looking at, " said an FAI spokesperson.

The Scottish FA are also tentatively supportive, although the FA of Wales are said to not be in favour of taking part.

Scottish FA spokesman Andy Mitchell said, "There's a possibility that some kind of tournament could be constituted at some stage in the future.

"It's still very much at the conceptual stage. It's an interesting idea and we're not cold to it - but, at present, it's not an active discussion."

An FA of Wales spokesman said officials were against the tournament as they feel it would mean their national team missing out on glamour friendlies.

The spokesman said, "The Northern Irish have made suggestions along Home Nations lines and also talked about the Republic of Ireland's involvement rather than England, as England don't appear in the slightest bit interested. But young Welsh players play against young Irish or Scottish players week-in, week-out with their clubs. But if they play against Brazil, as we've done this season, they come up against a different type of footballer. It would be hard to turn down Brazil because we had a home nations game."

The British Home Championship ran from 1884 to 1984 and, before football joined the Olympics in 1908, the winners were considered the unofficial world champions.

Ireland competed in the tournament before partition in 1922 and were outright champions once, in 1914. The Home Internationals were abandoned in 1984, partially because England and Scotland wanted to tackle harder opposition, and partially because of concerns over hooliganism and the Troubles.

Northern Ireland won the last competition so would kick off a new tournament as holders.