The China Mail - France showdown with Argentina spices up men's Olympic football

The last-eight clash between the rivals is in many ways exactly what was needed for a competition mainly reserved for players aged under 23, lacking in star names and struggling to attract attention from the general football public.

There will be plenty of reasons to follow the encounter between two of the leading contenders to go all the way and win gold in Paris on August 9.

It will be the first meeting of the nations since Argentina players were recorded singing racist chants about their French counterparts as they celebrated winning the Copa America in mid-July.

FIFA announced that it would investigate the chants, which targeted France's star striker Kylian Mbappe among others and included racist and homophobic insults.

The chants even led to a diplomatic incident, with Argentina apologising after the South American country's vice president, Victoria Villarruel, wrote on X that France was a "colonialist country". "Enough with feigned outrage, hypocrites," she added.

Argentina players have already been booed by rival fans during the Olympic tournament and can expect another heated welcome from the French crowd.

"With everything that has happened recently, everyone in France was affected, so we will see what happens in the quarter-finals," warned France's Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta after the hosts finished the group phase with three wins out of three.

Friday's showdown will also be the first between the sides since the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar which Argentina won on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw.

However, the men's Olympic football tournament is an under-23 competition, albeit with the exception of up to three over-age players per squad.

Only two members of Argentina's Olympic squad, Nicolas Otamendi and Julian Alvarez, played in the 2022 game, and none of France's.

That perhaps removes a little of the edge, but in purely footballing terms it will still be a fascinating contest.

- Henry v Mascherano -

Argentina are chasing a third Olympic gold after triumphing in 2004 and in 2008, the latter with a young Lionel Messi in their ranks.

France are going for football gold on home soil 40 years after taking the title at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

"If we want to come away with the medal, we have to be ready to play any opponent wherever it might be," Argentina's Thiago Almada, an unused substitute in the 2022 World Cup final, told broadcaster TyC Sports.

There are few household names in either team, although Manchester City's Alvarez will lead the Argentina attack, while France are captained by Alexandre Lacazette and can also call on new Bayern Munich signing Michael Olise.

Both sides do have legendary coaches, however -- France with 1998 World Cup-winner Thierry Henry, Argentina with his fellow former Barcelona star Javier Mascherano, who won Olympic gold as a player in Athens and in Beijing.

Whoever prevails will advance to a semi-final in Lyon next Monday against either Egypt or 2004 silver medallists Paraguay, who meet in the last eight in Marseille.

All the quarter-finals go ahead on Friday, with Morocco up against the United States in Paris before Spain take on Japan in Lyon.

Spain are gunning for more glory a matter of weeks on from winning Euro 2024 as they target a second Olympic men's football gold after 1992.

Japan have come to this Olympics with a young squad but were the only team other than France to win all three group games.

S.Davis--ThChM