The local press reports that the vehicles of two <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2024/10/near-toulouse-the-cars-of-two-u11-football-coaches-set-on-fire-an-hour-apart-in-the-night/” title=”Near Toulouse, the cars of two U11 football coaches set on fire an hour apart in the night”>US Colomiers Football instructors caught fire during the night from Monday to Tuesday. The club has decided to exercise its right of withdrawal and denounces an “escalation of violence” in amateur football.
Two cars set on fire an hour apart and around twenty kilometers apart. Each belonging to a US Colomiers Football educator. France Bleu Occitanie and La Dépêche reported this Thursday that the vehicles of two coaches in the U11 category of this club located near Toulouse caught fire during the night from Monday to Tuesday. The consequences could have been dramatic, particularly for the second educator whose house was devastated.
“His garage caught fire. Fortunately, he realized it. He had to be evacuated in the middle of the night with his four children, including a newborn. Do you realize?”, denounced to the Actu site. fr Patrice Maurel, technical director of US Colomiers. In reaction to this “unacceptable act”, the club has chosen to stop its activities – matches and training – until November 11. A decision supported by the Occitanie Football League and the Haute-Garonne district.
An “escalation of violence”
“An investigation is obviously underway, but the concordance of events suggests that this could be an act born from the frustration of not seeing their child retained for a match. Parents must understand that it is not possible to react like this,” Florian Aït-Ali, president of US Colomiers, complained to France Bleu. “Today, it is certain that we cannot accommodate everyone. We hear here and there that the club is elitist, but we have partnerships with other surrounding clubs so that everyone can play,” he said.
For several years, many educators from amateur clubs have been sounding the alarm to denounce the aggressive behavior of parents who want to make their child the future star of world football. The stakes of a contract and the sums associated with such a signature can drive you crazy. “The Mbappé Generation is a societal fact: it is the dream of social advancement for many families,” the technical director of US Colomiers confirmed to Actu.fr. “We can clearly see that there is an escalation of violence and that frustrations are becoming insurmountable. To the point that we almost had deaths! This is unacceptable.”
