Being a football coach for the Olympics requires being a fine diplomat in addition to having sporting qualities. Indeed, while we thought that with the Games at home, national unity would be decreed to try to win a first medal since 1984, this is not the case. The coach of the French Olympic team, Thierry Henry, will have to negotiate closely with the clubs so that they release players for the Olympic tournament.

On paper, the rules are simple: the Arsenal legend must call up 18 players born after January 1, 2001, to which can be added "three footballers born before this date", according to the Olympic regulations. As Sylvain Ripoll – his predecessor, who was in charge during the last Olympic Games in Tokyo – remembers, this often turns into a headache when faced with reality. As the Olympic tournament is not part of the FIFA calendar for men, clubs are not obliged to release their players – and that suits them very well.

The Rennes cold shower

It was Stade Rennais who set foot in the game first, Tuesday March 26. On the sidelines of a press conference on Julien Stéphan's contract extension, sports director Florian Maurice underlined the difficulty for the Breton club of losing several starters for the start of the 2024/2025 season while Adrien Truffert, Désiré Doué, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Jeanuël Belocian have been among Thierry Henry's conscripts in recent months and that Benjamin Bourigeaud is a possibility of reinforcement over 23 years old: "You also have to understand the clubs."

❌ For the first time, the leaders of a French club publicly show their opposition to the idea of ​​letting all their players participate in the Olympics.



This is Stade Rennais (here with Florian Maurice) and it is frankly clear. pic.twitter.com/ZLH0OT38FR

— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) March 27, 2024

The former center forward, who had shone in the competition in 1996 in Atlanta with the Blues, scoring three goals in three matches played, was then more conciliatory: "Obviously, we will do the best possible to be able to help the French team but the interests must be common. We cannot undress to dress the French team, even if I have a lot of affection for the France Espoirs team, or the France A team . It’s difficult for us, we have to understand that,” he continued.

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We have to put ourselves in Rennes' place: currently eighth in Ligue 1, its month of August could be synonymous with European play-offs, whether in the Champions League (in the event of fourth place) or for the Europa Conference League (sixth place). In this case, it is difficult for the club to imagine doing without its spine.

The specter of Tokyo

According to L'Équipe, the French Football Federation (FFF) was surprised by the content of the speech by the technical director of Stade Rennais. Florian Maurice's words would contrast with the general feeling after the meeting bringing together club presidents and shareholders in the fall, which was to prevent a repeat of the Tokyo fiasco.

“It is important that there is a positive state of mind and unity around this project,” welcomed Philippe Diallo, the president of the FFF, on December 15, 2023 in Le Monde.

A native of Rennes must have smiled when he saw Florian Maurice's statements. Sylvain Ripoll, former coach of the Espoirs, was widely vilified after the failure of his selection for the Tokyo Olympics, with elimination from the groups.

"We have to see the conditions in which this happened. I couldn't control anything, because the clubs didn't want to release their players. On the eve of the announcement of the official list, we didn't had only eleven players and we had to request several exemptions to extend the selection period. Otherwise, we were forfeited. We then had to cancel half of the preparation: the training courses in Spain, etc. Because we had no one ", he said in October 2023, shortly after his dismissal for insufficient results in the summer of 2023 during the Euro, which added to the failure of the Games.

The Tokyo Games remain in his throat like "a masquerade […] because almost all the clubs refused. However, everything had been anticipated on time. But out of 150 players requested, we had more than 120 refusals in the end . It was ridiculous."

"On site, the selected players were impeccable, nothing to complain about their mentality, that's not the problem. But we had the deep feeling of going to the breaker," he concluded.

His successor, Thierry Henry, is well aware that the scenario could happen again. He also said it at a press conference on the sidelines of the Bleuets matches in March. “I'm not afraid, I know it's going to happen [club refusals, Editor's note]. Where it was more difficult for Sylvain Ripoll at the time was that the difficulties came from French clubs. "It's hard to understand, all the same. I don't think it will come from them this time, at least I hope so", he affirmed, a bit fatalistic.

And abroad

?

Salvation is unlikely to come from foreign clubs. Real Madrid has already written to the FFF to inform it that none of its players will play in the Olympics. If, on paper, none of the Bleuets are concerned, this risks blocking Kylian Mbappé, who repeatedly repeats his desire to be part of the Games as a joker over 23 years old but who everyone announces in the Spanish capital once his contract with PSG expires at the end of June.

Other clubs risk rushing into the breach opened by Real: Malo Gusto and Benoît Badiashile could be retained by Chelsea, just like Castello Lukeba and Michael Olise, who play respectively at Leipzig and Crystal Palace.

"We don't have the cards in hand. These are not Fifa dates and the teams will need their players at the start of the season. Are the teams abroad there to think of us and the Olympics ? No, they think about their team and their players so it will be their decision. We discuss but they will make their decision,” admitted Thierry Henry.

Lille, Lens and OL to the rescue

The day after Florian Maurice's declaration, declarations from Lens, Lille and Lyon must have brought a smile back to the FFF and Thierry Henry.

"We are rather in favor of them going. We will have to see under what conditions. For a club called Olympique Lyonnais, it would be a shame if the players did not participate in the Olympic Games," declared Pierre Sage, the Lyon coach. "Like the Euro or other competitions, we have a lot of internationals in our squad, it's good that they have the opportunity to participate in great competitions which make them progress, dream, experience superb things."

In Lille, Paulo Fonseca made similar comments. "I think it will be positive if we have three players at the Olympic Games [Bafodé Diakité, Leny Yoro and Lucas Chevalier are expected, Editor's note], explained the Portuguese technician. I don't know if I will be the coach of Losc [la next season, Editor's note], if that's the case, it will be more difficult for me. For the players, it's very positive."

Franck Haise agrees with the decision of RC Lens to let its players participate in the Olympic Games: “I believe that the club communicated today in this sense. And the club's communication 𝗷𝗲 𝗹𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. […] Personally if I had had the… pic.twitter.com/nIcg2T7uut

— Instant Foot ⚽️ (@lnstantFoot) March 28, 2024

His Lens counterpart Franck Haise confirmed that he would not retain his players likely to compete in the competition, such as Elye Wahi and Andy Diouf. “I think it’s such a magnificent competition to experience that as a coach, I can’t see myself saying no to a player,” he explained. “Personally, if I had had the chance to experience this event and a coach had blocked me, it would have been a bit complicated."

The Norman went further in his reflection, questioning the football calendar: "Why is this competition not set as an international date? That would simplify things. It seems so obvious: the World Cup, the Euro, the CAN... I think that the real debate is there."

Can we do the Euro and the Olympics?

Thierry Henry will face another difficulty when presenting his list. Like every four years, the Olympics will take place just after the Euro football tournament, for which the France A team is ambitious. And coach Didier Deschamps, who could steal one or two players from Henry for the tournament, does not believe in the possibility of stringing together the two tournaments. “The Euro remains a priority, Henry and the president know it, it is in the Fifa dates. This is not the case for the Olympics, which can lead to complications,” commented Deschamps. "It's very difficult, on a psychological and physical level, to string together two competitions like that in one summer, with a championship which will start behind. But the objective remains the same: to have the best possible team. I really hope of courage to Titi."

Courage, Henry may need it between now and July 24, the date on which France will enter the fray at the Vélodrome against the United States.

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