Henry set to coach France at 2024 Olympics

Thierry Henry was on Monday named as coach of France’s Under-21s and will be in charge of the team competing at next year’s Olympics in Paris, said a source close to the negotiations. The 46-year-old former Arsenal and France striker replaces Sylvain Ripoll and returns to management after leaving his role as Belgium assistant following last year’s World Cup.
Henry, who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France, has struggled to hit the same heights in coaching that he reached as a player. He lasted barely three months as Monaco coach in the 2018-19 season and stepped down at MLS club Montreal Impact in February 2021 after just over a year at the helm.
He has also worked previously with Arsenal’s youth teams and twice served on the Belgium coaching staff, helping the country finish third at the 2018 World Cup. Henry, scorer of 51 goals in 123 games for France, has been working as a TV consultant in recent times.
He could have a team built around Kylian Mbappe at the Olympics, with the France captain making no secret of his desire to play at the tournament, which is largely reserved for players aged 23 or younger. Henry’s first match as France Under-21 coach is a friendly against Denmark in Nancy on September 7, four days before his team’s opening Euro 2025 qualifier away to Slovenia.
Barca snatch late win over Cadiz in new home
Pedri and Ferran Torres’ late strikes earned La Liga champions Barcelona a 2-0 win over Cadiz in their first competitive home game away from Camp Nou on Sunday. Atletico Madrid drew 0-0 at Real Betis in a dour clash.
Playing at the Olympic Stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill while their stadium is rebuilt and upgraded over the next year-and-a-half, Barcelona were nearly thwarted by visitors Cadiz. After Getafe held them to a frustrating goalless draw on the opening weekend, Cadiz almost managed the same feat until Ilkay Gundogan cleverly released Pedri to score. Substitute Torres drove through the middle and tucked home in stoppage time to put gloss on what was another unconvincing performance.
Juventus ease to
victory at Lecce
Juventus got their Serie A season off to a perfect start with Sunday’s 3-0 stroll at Udinese which suggested they will be in the title mix, while Lecce struck twice late to beat last year’s runners-up Lazio 2-1.
Massimiliano Allegri’s Juve did all the damage in the first half with an early strike from Federico Chiesa, Dusan Vlahovic’s penalty and a header from Adrien Rabiot just before the break. The away side then sat on their lead and comfortably held out for the win, and the return to form of injury-prone Chiesa will give Juve a boost as they try to bounce back from last season’s scandals.
Points deductions over transfer irregularities led to Juve finishing seventh last term and then a ban from European football by governing body UEFA. Without continental competition and with a fit squad Juve have been tipped to challenge for the Scudetto.