Paris 2024: Thierry Henry unveils preliminary France squad with Lacazette, but no Mbappé or Griezmann 'for now' (2024)

It is not a definitive squad. "This is the list for the moment, which may change," said coach Thierry Henry on Monday, June 3, in a press conference transformed into a balancing act. The coach of France's Olympic team provided some answers concerning the identity of the players who will compete in the football tournament at the Olympic Games in Paris (from July 24 to the final on August 9). But new questions are raised, too.

From the headquarters of the French Football Federation (FFF) in Paris, the coach unveiled a shortlist of 25 players set to travel to Clairefontaine, the national team headquarters, on June 16, to kick off the training camp in preparation for the Olympics. Kylian Mbappé, who said in November 2023 that he "wanted to play" at the Olympics, is not included, nor is Antoine Griezmann. Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette has, however, been called up, as have Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaïre-Emery, who are currently preparing for Euro 2024 with the French national team.

But the definitive squad of 22 players (18 + 4 reserves), which will be sent to FIFA on July 3, is likely to be different. "We don't know what's going to happen, but I have to give you a fairly real list, even if it is virtual," Henry tried to explain, saying it was to "give ourselves a chance of having the best possible team." Clubs are entitled to refuse to release their players for the Olympic team, as the men's tournament at the Games is not part of the official FIFA calendar – the dates on which clubs are required to make their players available to national teams.

'Not disappointed or surprised' by club rejections

"The last time I was rejected this many times, I was in middle school," joked Henry, revealing that he had been forced to cross out the names of two players minutes before the start of his list. "It's not easy to find yourself in the situation where you have to ask certain clubs abroad to release their players, when you can't say anything," he continued, saying he was "neither disappointed nor surprised. The clubs are within their rights. If you give a club the opportunity to say no, it's complicated."

The Lille players called up by Henry (Lucas Chevalier, Bafodé Diakité and Lenny Yoro) could, for example, be retained by their club president, Olivier Létang, as the northern club will be playing Champions League play-off matches in the middle of the Olympic tournament (August 6 or 7). Stade Rennais, which is heavily represented in the pre-quad (Adrien Truffert, Désiré Doué, etc.), has made it clear that it will not make all its players available to the French team, for fear of being decimated when the league resumes. There remains the question of players likely to change clubs, like Mbappé, who bade farewell to PSG at the end of the season. Real Madrid, which is expected to be his next club, has been adamant, despite attempts at persuasion at the highest level of government, that it will not allow any French players to compete in the Games.

For several months now, the Olympic coach has been working hard to put together the best possible team for the Olympics, and has nevertheless received some good news. Barring a turn of events, Lens, Brest, Monaco and Montpellier are among the clubs that have agreed to release their players this summer. "The objective remains the same: to have the best possible team for the Games," FFF President Philippe Diallo last week told Le Monde.

• The complete preliminary squad:

Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier (Lille), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse), Mkambadio Obed (Paris FC), Robin Risser (Dijon).

Defenders: Bafodé Diakité (Lille), Castello Lukeba (Leipzig), Maxime Estève (Burnley), Kiliann Sildillia (Fribourg), Bradley Locko (Brest), Adrien Truffert (Rennes), Lenny Yoro (Lille).

Midfielders: Joris Chotard (Montpellier), Désiré Doué (Rennes), Khephren Thuram (Nice), Enzo Millot (Stuttgart), Manu Koné (Mönchengladbach), Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Lesley Ugowhokcu (Chelsea), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG).

Forwards: Michael Olise (Crystal Palace), Arnaud Kalimuendo (Rennes), Bradley Barcola (PSG), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich).