Thierry Henry was aware that putting together his team for the Olympic football tournament would be an absolute headache. But the former star striker of the Blues certainly did not imagine encountering so many difficulties, and having to cross out his score to this extent. Monday June 3, after announcing a “enlarged virtual list” of 25 players for Paris 2024, the coach of the French Olympic team verbalized it: he “hadn’t taken so many rejections since middle school”.
Read also | Thierry Henry unveils an “enlarged virtual list” for the 2024 Olympics, with Alexandre Lacazette but without Kylian Mbappé or Antoine Griezmann “for the moment”
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Although the only master on board this team, “Titi” does not have full powers. Since the men’s tournament of the Olympic Games (OG) is not one of the slots where the rules of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) force clubs to make their players available to national teams, they have the right to refuse to release their elements. Which forces the French coach to compose, he who explained having been forced to “remove two players” from his prelist “twenty-five minutes” before revealing it.
The objective of these Games at home has always been assumed by Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation (FFF): to allow Thierry Henry to have “the best possible team”. And what better way to do this than to call your best players? Like Brazil, in 2016, who called on Neymar to aim for Olympic gold at home – mission accomplished, with a goal from the star auriverde finally.
The presence of Kylian Mbappé more than uncertain
Along the same lines, Thierry Henry would have liked to be able to count on Kylian Mbappé as one of the three “jokers” over 23 in his group. But the name of the captain of the Blues, who left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, did not cross his lips on Monday. Wanting to be optimistic – but appearing disillusioned – the former Gunner assured “do not draw a line under the presence of Mbappé [aux JO] »because there is “the hope that the situation will evolve by July 3”, date on which the official list of 22 “Olympians” (18 + 4 reservists) must be sent to FIFA. The fact remains that Kylian Mbappé’s dream of playing the Games at home is fading, despite the attempts of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to convince Florentino Pérez, very likely future boss of the French star. For several weeks, the president of Real has made it known that his club would not release any French people this summer.
Read the interview | Article reserved for our subscribers Philippe Diallo, president of the FFF: “We need a framework, at least European, to force clubs to release players for the Olympics”
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If Kylian Mbappé were an isolated case, Thierry Henry’s daily life would be almost peaceful. But for months, the coach has suffered refusals from many foreign clubs. Often without explanation. “It’s the same feeling as when you go to talk to someone, but you know you won’t be able to argue.”, he confided. The English at Chelsea told him that he “could have that [Lesley] Ugochukwu »a promising young player, but that he should give up on the more experienced Benoît Badiashile and Malo Gusto.
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