“For me, they’re not part of the Olympics” - Frank Leboeuf makes bold claim as France prepare for semi-final clash vs Egypt

Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf has said that he's not bothered about how France perform at the Paris Olympics 2024. Les Bleus have qualified for the competition's semi-final, and their next match is against Egypt on Monday (August 5).

Of course, this tournament is an under-23 competition that allows the presence of three players above the age limit in the squad. In the previous round, Thierry Henry's team defeated Argentina 1-0 to make it into the final four.

Despite his nation's performances, Leboeuf is of the opinion that football doesn't really matter at these Games. Speaking about this, he said while undertaking his punditry duties for ESPN:

"I don't care (about football at the Olympics). I don't watch football, basketball, tennis, golf, in the Olympics, because for me, they're not a part of the Olympics.

"I don't like these people stealing the thunder of some other people working for three years like table tennis, athletics or something else. I love watching that, but not football. I didn't watch any game of football."

Regardless, France would love to win a gold medal at these Games, which is the dream of many athletes around the world. Should Henry and Co. get through their semi-final tie, they will face the winners between Morocco and Spain, who play earlier on the same day.

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France coach Thierry Henry slams his players' behavior after brawl in Paris Olympics quarter-final with Argentina

Thierry Henry

France coach Thierry Henry was disappointed with the behavior of his players after they managed to beat Argentina 1-0 in the quarter-final of the Olympics. The win seemed to avenge the defeat of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The celebrations, which followed thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta's fifth-minute strike, saw the French players rejoice in front of the Argentina contingent. This seemingly incited a brief brawl between the two camps, which did not go down well with Henry.

He told TyC Sports after the game (via Reuters):

"I do not agree with what happened at the end. One of my players got a red card and I don't accept that, it shouldn't happen. I went to shake Mascherano's hand and when I turned around, it had happened."

It was midfielder Enzo Millot who was shown a red card during these arguments. The last time Les Bleus won a gold medal at this international stage was during the 1984 edition of the Games.