We talk to Sylvain Ripoll, coach of France’s
Espoirs (U-21) team I’m part of a generation that dreamed of going to the Olympics
This Friday 22 January marks six months to the day before the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament kicks off in Tokyo. The tournament will see France back on the Olympic stage 25 years after reaching the quarter-finals at the Atlanta Games in 1996.
So what has caused such a prolonged absence from the Olympics? I can t give you an exact answer, since I wasn t there, says Sylvain Ripoll, coach of the France
Espoirs (U-21) team since 2017. Qualification for such a prestigious competition is always on a national federation’s wish-list, but for some reason we’ve been unsuccessful in recent times. In any case, we’re delighted to be back with the French team in a major tournament like the Olympics, said the 49-year-old strategist.