Four months of headaches ahead.
As the Olympic football event begins on July 24, Thierry Henry will have to take into account a number of important parameters to compose his list.
Starting with the willingness or not of clubs to release their best elements.
“We don't have the cards in our hands.
These are not Fifa dates.
The teams will need their players at the start of the season,” he summarized Thursday with La Chaîne L’Equipe.
The coach of the Espoirs and U23s became more aware of this complexity on February 26, when the French football federation received an email from Real Madrid, reluctant to let its players participate in the Games.
Vinicius, like Rodrygo in 2021, had experienced this.
Thierry Henry and his staff have established a list of around a hundred names sent to the CNOSF.
The body then notified the clubs concerned of its intention to select these players in order to obtain administrative documents.
The email from Real Madrid, which Le Parisien was able to read, is a response to the FFF's request and only concerns two players under contract with the Spanish club.
“Regarding your request for documentation and the possible summons of our players Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy, we regret to inform you that due to the fact that the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will not take place on FIFA dates (…) our club does not authorize the release of these players.”
Apart from these two members of the Madrid squad, the name of Aurélien Tchouaméni is not mentioned and even less that of Kylian Mbappé, who has still not signed his contract with Real Madrid.
There is not the slightest hint of a possible future recruit.
For now, according to our information, everything suggests that Kylian Mbappé could skip the Paris Games.
But its presence is not yet completely ruled out.
On the Federation side, we know that the possibility remains and we are ready to try everything to reverse the trend.
The email from Real Madrid insists to the FFF not to put Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy again in the reduced prelist of 50 names which will have to be sent to the CNOSF at the beginning of May then in that of 18 selected plus 4 substitutes than Thierry Henry should unveil at the end of the same month, a few days after Didier Deschamps made the 23 for the Euro official.
“We ask you to take this into account for the final summons which will take place in May 2024,” concludes the email.
Despite this very clear message, Henry should not give up and could approach the leaders of Real Madrid, like those of other foreign clubs after the international break.
With the objective of changing positions and solving the puzzle as quickly as possible.