The president of the French Football Federation on Saturday invited supporters to “renew their repertoire” to support their team.
The president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Philippe Diallo, estimated in an interview with AFP on Saturday September 30 that supporters must “show imagination” by abandoning words “more in line with society”after the homophobic chants sung by Parisian supporters during the match against Marseille (4-0) on September 24.
How do you react to the homophobic chants from certain PSG supporters during the match against Marseille?
Philippe Diallo: This type of comments must be condemned. I invite supporters to show more imagination. When I was young, I was also in these stands, I already heard the same songs. I invite them to renew their repertoire because this type of talk is no longer in keeping with the society in which we live. I think you can support your team in a more positive way.
Do you share the opinion of Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera on the need to interrupt matches in this situation?
You have to do it with discernment, so as not to put yourself in the hands of people who have bad intentions in the stands. I think that the Federation also has a public service mission, by being an actor of commitment in France. In mid-October, we will take a certain number of initiatives with associations that fight against these phenomena in society, to associate them with the federation and participate in the education of our youth from a very young age.
Is there a problem with homophobia in football?
I consider that football is not a separate world where there is a particular phenomenon of homophobia. I do not deny the question of homophobia in football, but is there a particularism of football on the question of homophobia? Personally, I don’t believe it, it’s a phenomenon that exists, like others that affect football, like violence. When you have a community of more than two million licensees, obviously you are faced with this type of problem.
Where is the issue of sexist and sexual violence within the FFF?
We have more than 600,000 minors who are licensed to the French football federation, which gives us a special duty in this area. We have put in place contracts of good repute, we have carried out nearly 88,000 checks on presidents, treasurers, general secretaries, educators. At this stage, we have less than twenty cases that have been detected, on which we are systematically reporting via the ministerial platform. But I think we must go further: parents who entrust their children to us must do so with full confidence. In mid-October, we will announce a specific plan on sexual and gender-based violence so that the federation can put itself fully into action on these subjects.