The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic games is already being branded as ‘grandiose’, but that will happen on Friday. In the meantime, the competition is already starting today, and football is on the menu. The first game will be at 16h (Nairobi time), and one of the favourites of the tournament, France, is playing against the USA. The hosts have a fantastic team, even though coach Thierry Henry faced numerous cancellations since bigger European clubs didn’t want to allow their players to be at the Olympics. Still, footballers like Michael Olise, Alexandre Lacazette, Arnaud Kalimuendo, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Rayan Cherki and Manu Kone are more than enough for the French to reach the final. The expectations are high, but it seems that the biggest problem for the team is not the opponent, but rather their own crowd?Paris Olympics: Here is how Team Kenya will dress for the iconic opening ceremony [PHOTOS]A long time ago, before the Qatar state came in and bought PSG, Lyon was the consecutive Ligue 1 champion, while Marseille was challenging them. They were not geographical rivals but rather the title-chasing ones, and even though they are now far from second place, the hostility remains. Everybody remembers the attack on Lyon’s team bus and the horrible injuries to coach Fabio Grosso. And now the French will play against the USA on Velodrome, with Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette leading the line.Men’s Olympic football tournament – no Brazil and no big namesThe Former Arsenal captain and coach Thierry Henry emphasized that unity among supporters is needed in Marseille for the opening game.”I came here with the French team, we were always well received so I expect the same thing. I don’t know if it’s the same for Lacazette but I expect the same thing. Joking aside, it’s super important and I want to send a message. Right now we’re in the French team so we represent the French team. At some point, we’re going to have to be French tomorrow and support the team. Quite simply” said Arsenal’s legend.Alexandre Lacazette said he was proud that head coach Thierry Henry, his idol growing up, had given him the responsibility of leading the France Olympic team, and hoped the home support would fuel the team’s medal ambitions. pic.twitter.com/hC1izBaQtc— First Zealmediacast Blog (@FirstZealmedia) July 21, 2024 For his part, Lacazzette said that he “hopes for a great atmosphere” from the Marseille crowd to “help the partners play a good match”. “There I am French, I am not from Lyon, during the competition” emphasized Lyon’s striker. This crop of players also expects to win a medal, something their teammates from Tokio failed to do. In fact, they were terrible and crashed after the group stages without a single win four years ago.OLYMPIC GAMES – FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTGroup stages – Round 1Wednesday16:00: (1.80) Argentina M23 (3.50) Morocco M23 (4.70)16:00: (9.50) Uzbekistan M23 (5.90) Spain M23 (1.28)18:00: (1.70) Guinea M23 (3.50) N.Zealand M23 (5.50)18:00: (1.25) Egypt M23 (6.50) Dom.Rep.M23 (10.0)20:00: (4.70) Iraq M23 (3.50) Ukraine M23 (1.80)20:00: (2.10) Japan M23 (3.40) Paraguay M23 (3.60)22:00: (1.48) France M23 (4.40) USA M23 (6.75)22:00: (2.55) Mali M23 (3.15) Israel M23 (2.95)***odds are subject to change***
