‘Knew it was coming’ – Thierry Henry speaks out on Real Madrid’s Olympic rejection email | OneFootball

France U23 head coach Thierry Henry has today provided his take on the message sent the way of he and his staff by La Liga giants Real Madrid, ahead of the upcoming Olympic games.

For those who may have missed it, last week, it was confirmed that the brass at Real Madrid had made contact with their counterparts in the French national setup.

This came with a view to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In the email in question, Los Blancos made clear their stance that neither Eduardo Camavinga or Ferland Mendy, despite requests, would be afforded permission to link up with Les Bleus’ ranks, for the Olympics.

As much, of course, comes with the European Championships also set to play out this summer.

“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,” wrote Real, as cited by Le Parisien.

So, how did news of as much go down amongst those who had been hopeful of having at least one of the eligible members of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad at their disposal in Paris?

As alluded to above, an insight into precisely that was today forthcoming.

Speaking in a media press conference, Thierry Henry – set to oversee France’s push for a gold medal this summer – admitted that though he was fully expecting the communication in question, he has not yet given up hope of changing the minds of the brass at the Santiago Bernabéu:

“I knew it was going to be difficult I saw the rejection e-mail, I knew it was coming, I don’t stop at no, we’ll see what we can do, but it’s getting difficult.”

Conor Laird | GSFN