“Homophobic remarks have benefited from culpable impunity on the part of Football authorities and clubs for too long”

“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 due to 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, against closure of an entire stand accompanied by a fine in 2023. Those of the supporters of Olympique de Marseille (OM), perfectly audible during the broadcast by DAZN 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.

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