“Oh Lyonnais, you bunch of fags! » “We must kill these Parisian fags!” » “The Marseillais are fags, sons of bitches, motherfuckers! » : do these words shock you? We hope so! Despite their widespread use in football stadiums, they still constitute crimes of public insult and public incitement to hatred because of sexual orientation, punishable by one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros…
However, the homophobic chants of supporters of a multi-repeat PSG, on October 19, benefited from an unworthy leniency from the Professional Football League (LFP), with an even weaker sanction than last year for identical acts – partial closure of a stand this year, versus closure of an entire stand accompanied by a fine in 2023. Those of the supporters of Olympique de Marseille (OM), perfectly audible during the DAZN broadcast of the OM-PSG match , on October 27, were not even recorded by the LFP delegates present at the Stade-Vélodrome.
These homophobic comments, which hurt LGBT people, spoil the football party. They have benefited from culpable impunity on the part of football authorities and clubs for too long. And we say it as football fans and sports lovers!
So, what do we actually do? The French Football Federation (FFF) (more than 2 million members, including 1 million young people) is responsible for amateur football and around 15,000 clubs. Its federal educational program must be reviewed, in conjunction with LGBTI associations [personnes lesbiennes, gay, bisexuelles, trans et intersexes]and human resources must be deployed in the 90 departmental districts to ensure its effective implementation. With a total budget of nearly 300 million euros, this seems reasonably possible for the FFF.
Taboo
Professional football also needs a broad awareness plan. The latest indicators show that 41% of professional footballers and 50% of young people in training centers (currently on the pitch, therefore) have homophobic opinions (according to a survey carried out between September 2012 and February 2013 among 13 clubs, 121 professionals and 123 players, coordinated by Anthony Mette, sports psychologist, for Paris Football Gay).
We must hope that things have evolved in the meantime, but let us remember that no active gay footballer has ever dared to come out in France (and almost none in the world). This says a lot and is very revealing of the taboo of homosexuality in the world of football, a source of suffering and violence…
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