French coach Thierry Henry has announced the initial 25-man squad for the upcoming Olympics football tournament on Monday. However, there was a big shock as star players Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann were left out of the list. Despite their interest in participating in the Paris Games, their clubs in Spain have refused to let them go for the tournament.
Despite this setback, coach Henry expressed optimism about including Mbappe on the squad but acknowledged that it will be challenging to finalize the list without confirmation from the clubs. The deadline for squad selections is on July 3rd.
The preliminary list includes Paris Saint-Germain duo Warren Zaire-Emery and Bradley Barcola as well as Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette. However, there is still room for adjustments as PSG has reportedly declined to release Zaire-Emery and Barcola due to their commitments at Euro 2024.
Coach Henry decided to include Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta alongside 33-year-old Lacazette in the squad despite limitations on overage players. The team will begin training on June 16th and play friendly matches against Paraguay, Dominican Republic, and Japan in preparation for the Olympic competition starting on July 24th.
France will compete in a group with New Zealand, Guinea, and the United States at the Olympics. Coach Henry remains hopeful that his team can overcome challenges and perform well in the tournament despite not having some of his top players available.
In conclusion, despite some major surprises such as Mbappe and Griezmann being left off the preliminary squad, coach Henry remains optimistic about France’s chances of success at the upcoming Olympics football tournament. With only a few days left before finalizing selections, he’ll need to make tough decisions about who makes it onto his final roster.
