On Monday 28, the list of the JJ OO

The list for the Olympics is one of the great unknowns this summer. The accumulation of competitions, with the Under-21 Eurocup, Absolute and an Olympic event in a few months, causes Luis de la Fuente to have to juggle to make the final group.

That question will be resolved next Monday, June 28, at which time the Olympic coach will make the 18 summoned official. Two days later, on Wednesday 30, they will start the concentration. La Rojita will be in Benidorm, at the Hotel Melia Villaitana, until July 13, when they will travel to Japan.

De la Fuente has spoken in recent weeks with all the footballers about what he has in mind to know his predisposition (some must link the Eurocup and Games) and the response he has obtained has been fantastic. His idea is to summon the best.

The only stumbling block is legal. Spanish clubs are required to cede their players to the Spanish National Team, but the same is not the case with foreigners. The Olympic event is not on the FIFA calendar and therefore the teams can refuser. In the Federation they work case by case so that De la Fuente can count on everyone. Francis Hernández, coordinator of the lower categories of the RFEF, is doing an excellent job in this regard.

The coach's idea is to take the base of the footballers who won the Olympic ticket in the 2019 Under-21 Eurocup. The three exceptions of those over 24 will come from the nine from 1996 who won that championship plus Rodrigo and Asensio, who have been vaccinated. Right now the three with the most options to go are Ceballos, Merino and Fabián, although others like Pedraza, Fornals, Roca or the aforementioned Asensio and Rodrigo also have possibilities.

Spain debuts against Egypt on July 22 and will play a friendly against Japan on July 17. On the list there will be players who are currently in the Eurocup (Olmo, Ferran, Eric, Pedri, Pau Torres …), who will join when they finish their commitment with the Absolute. The mission now of the De la Fuente coaching staff is that the rest of the summoned do a mini preseason so that on June 22 they all arrive in the same physical condition.