Allegations of lesbophobic remarks at Stade Français: an investigation opened
By The New Obs with AFP
Published on , updated on
The Stade Français "Pink Rockets" during a match against Lons Section paloise women's rugby, January 30, 2022. COUDERT/SPORTSVISION/SIPA
In mid-January, a volunteer director of the women's rugby team filed a complaint against the "disturbing, homophobic, and sexist comments" made by the sporting director of the women's section of Stade Français. The team's players called for his resignation.
An investigation has been opened in Paris following a complaint by a manager of the women's section of the Stade Français rugby club against the club's sports director, who is accused of harassment and lesbophobic remarks, the prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday, May 27.
The public prosecutor confirmed that "this complaint alleging moral harassment and homophobic remarks by the management of the Stade Français was received by the Paris prosecutor's office on January 14, and entrusted for investigation to the Brigade for the Repression of Crimes Against Persons (BRDP)."
On May 22, Stade Français players called for the resignation of the club's women's sports director, following accusations revealed by Mediapart . "These comments [...] are not just blunders: they contribute to a system of domination and exclusion," the players' statement published on social media denounced.
A reprimand but comments not taken into accountAfter suffering what she considered "yet another humiliation" during the All Saints' Day holidays, Laura, 27, a volunteer director of the women's rugby team, first reported the matter to the French Rugby Federation (FFR) in December, a step she informed the Stade Français executive board of.
Laura was first a player in the Parisian club for one season in 2022-2023, then joined the management when the sporting director took up his duties within the association which manages the youth and women's categories of Stade Français, in parallel with the professional men's structure playing in Top 14.
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The FFR confirmed to AFP that it had received this report on its dedicated platform and that the matter had been referred to the French rugby disciplinary board. An internal investigation at Stade Français was also conducted, and in early January, the manager received a reprimand. However, according to Mediapart, the homophobic and sexist remarks, as well as the harassment, were not "held" against the sporting director.
Laura, who declined to give her name, then filed a complaint in mid-January against the "disturbing, homophobic, and sexist remarks" she accuses the manager of making. Suspended from his duties with the women's team since the beginning of January and the conclusion of the internal investigation, the sporting director has nevertheless retained his remaining prerogatives within the association.
Six testimonies"In the file that I brought to the Federation, there are six testimonies [from players] , but you have to know that there are girls who did not dare to testify, for fear that it would tarnish their rugby career," Laura stressed, affirming that the manager threatened the players with "ruining" their careers if they left the club.
The testimonies report lesbophobic insults, denigrating the sexuality of the players. The Mediapart article cites particularly infamous remarks: "It's a shame that you're a pussy eater like your teammates" , "dyke who wants to play rugby but is incapable of playing a men's sport" , "they would be better off sleeping with guys than fingering each other" .
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