But we released them for Asia and Africa Cup.
I think we don’t have to release them for the Olympics.
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I don’t think that they should ask for them either. The Olympics football is meant to be an under-23 competition and the over-age player rule was intended to allow those players who had played in qualifying but are now too old to participate.
As it is, they go for very experienced and much older players. They should be stricter with it.
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It’s not an official FIFA competition so we have no obligation to release them for it, but who knows what stance the club will take.
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If we don’t have to release them we surely we cant do anything except tell them to f-off. The players simply have to respect it. Unless Slott doesn’t rate Endo at all - but in that case he should be sold instead. Especially Mo, can’t be having him miss yet more football to get injured with Egypt.
In a way I can understand a player wanting to compete at the Olympics, as it is such a unique sporting thing. But the problem in this sort of thing is jurisdiction.
It stands to reason that every organization wants to the most possible. More games, more access to the players, more access to better players, etc.
And there is simply too much football being played.
But jurisdiction is the issue, as there isn’t a clear body, acting for the good of the players and the good of the game, who is in authority to sort it all out.
Everyone has their nose in the trough.
Ultimately, the decision should rest with the individual player.
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It may be relevant to recall that Egypt qualified last time and didn’t call up Mo then. None of the teams called up any high profile older players. The tournament before both Son and Neymar were included in the SK and Brazil teams, but I remember that was agreed to by their clubs with an agreement from their FAs to not call them up for the next round of friendlies for the senior team.
That’s not a good deal for us though. Having Mo sit out a round of Egypt fixtures in September when there are no other senior players around to train with is not worth the loss of having the core group available for pre-season with a new coach.
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Well if I was a player I would be busting it to get to the Olympics. Stay in the village, “get to know” a few other competitors amidst the festivities, and take in a few events long the way. May even win a medal. Better than playing in those meaningless friendlies.
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That is part of the problem. Games are being held all over France. Most games are in the South and Nantes at 250m away is the closet to Paris, so the footballers wont be staying at the Village.
Well thats disappointing. I’d break curfew and head to the village with boys post match then. But in all seriousness an olympic medal would be cool and better than a pre season.
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I went to the football during the London Olympics and saw a good couple of games and had a great time with the visiting fans. I think it’s a brilliant experience for the young players as well. I just think it should be for the young players- maybe specify a maximum age for overage players as 24?
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Or, even better, have no “overage” players at all.
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I mentioned this earlier that the “overage” rule was intended to allow players who’d had their birthday during qualifying to take part in finals. Maybe it just has to be a strict cutoff date?
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That’s the way I would do it. For example, to be eligible for the 2028 Olympics your date of birth has to be 1st January 2007 or later. Yes, I would make it for 21 year olds or younger.
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Those “anti sex” beds they’ve installed are sure to put a stop to all that nonsense. 
They have these rules for international youth tournaments currently, which is why the U21 Euros always has 23 year olds in it. Not sure why the Olympics felt they needed the obvious loophole of 3 open age slots.
I’d actually go further than an age limit and make an amatuer tournament. No professional players allowed.
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International youth football already has a non-intuitive age cut off - Curtis was 22 last summer playing in the final of the Euro 21s. The rule for those tournaments is you have to be under the age limit on the first day of qualifying (it could even be something as dumb as January in the year qualifying begins) and so it seems the obvious solution is to say if you were young enough to play in the tournament from which your team qualified for the Olympics then you are good.
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Neither Endo nor Mo will be going to the Olympics 
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They did a 5 a side in training today
Kelleher, Sepp, Bradley, Curtis, Carol
vs
Nat, Quansah, Kostas, Carvalho, Caroline
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