Two educators from US Colomiers saw their cars set on fire in front of their home. Intolerable violence for the leaders of the amateur club who decided to suspend their activities, as a sign of protest against this increase in incivility. A phenomenon that was also noticed by Gérard Bellehigue, president of the National Association of Educators. He testified this Saturday to BFMTV.
The US Colomiers club, in the Toulouse region, is still in shock. The cars of two of his educators were burned during the night from Monday to Tuesday. A complaint was filed and the structure decided to go on standby until November 11 to denounce this violence which could potentially be the latest illustration of the abuses of the famous “Mbappé Projects” in amateur Football.
For several years, many educators 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. A sad phenomenon that was also noticed by Gérard Bellehigue, president of the National Association of Educators and of Cosmo Taverny, a club located in Val-d’Oise.
“The successful child is the child who is supported and helped, not the child who is under pressure”
“We have seen this phenomenon rise for five or six years. Football reflects what society is today, with more and more violence from a minority. There is violent behavior and incivility. Lately, I I saw a parent enter the field because his son had clashed with an opponent. He pulled the opponent’s ear… It was the role of the educator and not the parent to enter the field. ground and separate the children”, he testified this Saturday morning on the set of BFMTV.
Your child’s success sometimes turns into an obsession. “For some parents, the child is an investment. They are not afraid to say it. They enroll him in a club, with on top of that private and individual coaching, whereas football is a team sport. What we do is that we set up meetings at the start of the season. Unfortunately, not all the parents come. However, it serves to explain to them how we work. what we expect from children. Football, like all team sports, is there to see how the child will integrate into society. It must be a pleasure”, explained Gérard Bellehigue.
In recent years, several clubs have decided to mark the occasion by eliminating training sessions or switching to sessions behind closed doors. “I have several examples of parents who put enormous pressure on their child, and the child then stops playing football at 14-15 years old. He can’t stand it anymore. It often comes from dads. The child can no longer stand it. having his father who criticizes him from morning to evening There is such pressure that the child ends up breaking down. Today, the child who succeeds is the child who is supported and helped, not the child who. is under pressure”, concluded Gérard Bellehigue.
