The French collective fighting against homophobia in football Rouge direct announced on Tuesday November 14 to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that it would “definitely cease its activities initiated in November 2016”, denouncing the “resignation of the State”, of the Professional Football League (LFP) and the French Football Federation (FFF).
“The unacceptable gap between the words [of Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra] on “zero tolerance” against homophobia and her anecdotal actions against this scourge that kills, will have just highlighted the resignation of the State in its obligations to protect the LGBT minority,” said Rouge direct in a press release. “We will not dwell on the total and culpable inaction of the FFF and the LFP. Their unforgivable responsibility in the trivialization of homophobia in football is now notorious,” accuses the collective.
On October 14, reacting to homophobic chants during the meeting between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille, on September 24, and between Rennes and Nantes on October 1, the minister and these two authorities announced times of exchanges with supporters, awareness workshops ? which the LFP has already been organizing for several years ? or even the designation of referents within supporter groups.
Julien Pontes, spokesperson and co-founder of the Rouge direct collective, who participated in a meeting with the minister at the end of the summer, told Agence France-Presse “to be stunned by the lack of support” after the death threats he and other activists received. “We are stopping our activities which only bring us danger,” he regretted.
“Football should be a great celebration, I am from the Platini generation, my idol… The 1998 victory [of France in the World Cup] was a hope for national unity which also speaks to a discriminated gay man, but this promise was not held,” added Julien Pontes.
