While LGBT associations must participate in the match deemed sensitive between Grenoble and Nancy on Saturday, the French Football Federation will experiment with this system for the first time.
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A new system against homophobic chants in the stands will be tested during the 32nd finals of the French Football Cup on Saturday December 20, during the Grenoble-Nancy match, we learned on Friday HERE Lorraine (ex-France Bleu) with the Rouge Direct collective and the Committee to Combat Violence and Discrimination (CLEVED) at the FFF. This new system will be tested by the French Football Federation, in this match deemed sensitive, with the participation of LGBT associations.
Concretely, in the stands, at the Stade des Alpes in Grenoble, three observers will be responsible for spotting discriminatory chants. This is a representative of the federation, a person from the commission of national delegates and a member of an association committed to the fight against homophobia. The proposal is also made “for years” by the Rouge Direct collective.
“The role of these French observers is to intervene live if necessary, with a view to stopping the match, but it is also and above all to record what is never done on the match sheet, that there were homophobic chants, to say where they came from, what these comments were”explains Julien Pontes, spokesperson and co-founder of the Rouge Direct collective against homophobia. By setting up observation commissions with LGBT associations, “It changes everything. There, there will be no more hypocrisy about the reality of homophobic songs”he adds.
Once these chants are recorded on the match sheet, “we no longer have a choice, it’s a disciplinary committee and sanction if necessary”welcomes Julien Pontes. The role of observers can even lead to the match being interrupted. “Stopping the match is entirely possible thanks to the intervention of observers from these commissions who can report to one of the members of the refereeing that there are homophobic chants and at that moment, this must provoke a first message from the announcer, then if these chants continue, the match will be stopped”assures Julien Pontes. The Rouge Direct collective recalls that the first match stoppage for homophobia in France took place in Nancy in 2019. Contacted by ICI Lorraine, the ASNL and Saturday FC supporters did not wish to react.
The Grenoble-Nancy match will kick off this Saturday at 6 p.m. This will be the only match of these 32nd finals concerned by the experiment. But the test must be repeated during the next rounds of the Coupe de France. However, it will not be extended to championship matches for the moment. The Professional Football League (LFP) has not yet given its agreement for the implementation of a similar system in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2.
