Properly, the sport of soccer is by far essentially the most well-known sport throughout the globe. The sensation of watching your finest workforce win a match, your finest participant scoring a purpose, conjuring a wonderful move, making an inch-perfect tackler or making a logic-defying save is unparalleled. Nonetheless, like all the things else in our lives, there’s a darkish facet to the sport, or ought to we are saying too darkish. French investigative journalist Romain Molina is likely one of the finest in the case of exposing the darkish underbelly of soccer. And his newest expose has despatched shockwaves throughout France and the broader soccer world.
The soccer world has, in current months, skilled a number of points which have stained its mage. These embrace the Mason Greenwood alleged assault case and the home violence case in opposition to Ryan Giggs. Footballers have repeatedly proved that they aren’t good position fashions.
Molina’s current article reveals chilling particulars of underage gamers being sexually abused. In line with Molina, these incidents have been intentionally suppressed by the French Soccer Federation (FFF). Molina additionally mentioned that complaints like these had been reported since 1980 however to no avail.
Molina’s report highlights two names particularly. The primary is Angelique Roujas, a former French nationwide participant who was the top of the ladies’s part at Clairefontaine, the nationwide coaching centre. The second is David San Jose, a non-football educator at Clairefontaine.
Roujas had been on the centre of a number of complaints through the years. She was faraway from the put up by FFF in 2013 attributable to sexual harassment complaints. In the meantime, San Jose was dismissed in 2020 after misbehaving with a 13-year-old.
Right here’s all it is advisable learn about Romain Molina’s expose.
Romain Molina expose
Molina revealed his findings on his web site Josimar. He began the report by focusing on FFF President Noel Le Graet. The 81-year-old chief of French soccer has sued the journal So Foot. The journal had reported on allegations of sexual misconduct in opposition to him.
The French media have closely criticised the FFF’s try to suppress complaints of sexual misconduct. Nonetheless, a former FFF board member informed Josimar on the situation of anonymity that the tradition on the soccer affiliation encourages these issues to be swept underneath the carpet.
Most of those incidents of alleged sexual harassment occurred at Clairefontaine.
Molina’s report centered on Roujas and San Jose. However who’re these people, and what are the allegations in opposition to them?
Right here we go ! 40 ans d’abus couverts à la FFF : https://t.co/QhbzWZ615b
Agression sexuelle/harcèlement/violence sur mineurs, chantage sexuel sur arbitres hommes et joueuses, agression sexuelle/harcèlement par des dirigeants : plus de 10 cas sont répertoriés
— Romain Molina (@Romain_Molina) September 16, 2022
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Angelique Roujas
Angelique Roujas is a former French worldwide footballer. Roujas performed as a ahead and represented France 51 instances, scoring 14 objectives. She retired from soccer at Euro 2001. In 2004, Roujas was appointed the top of the nationwide girls’s soccer coaching centre CNFE Clairefontaine. She served within the put up from 2003 until her expulsion in 2013.
Molina’s report said that as the top of CNFE Clairefontaine, she used her place to have sexual relations with younger women. The FFF accepted these allegations in an inside doc on October 30, 2013.
The doc learn, “One boarder talked about that Madame Angélique Roujas took benefit of her state of weak spot and her hierarchical hyperlink to acquire such relations (intimate ones). The info went again from 2004 and 2005, a interval through which the involved boarders have been in Clairefontaine”.
Les faits, donc.
Bonne soirée pic.twitter.com/2Vdv8ZbkGW
— Romain Molina (@Romain_Molina) September 16, 2022
The doc added that since most victims wished to stay nameless, it was troublesome to press felony expenses. Roujas’s sufferer contains gamers who performed for the French nationwide workforce sooner or later.
Molina reported that FFF took speedy motion on this matter as a result of the ladies’s nationwide workforce threatened to strike.
Nonetheless, even after her suspension, Roujas discovered employment inside a yr at FC Metz. Her position was just like what it was at Clairefontaine. The FFF additionally didn’t inform authorities officers as per French regulation. Not one of the prime authorities officers such because the state secretary for sports activities Thierry Braillard, sports activities minister Valérie Fourneyron have been knowledgeable concerning the matter,
Molina mentioned throughout your entire time, the principle goal of FFF was to suppress the problem fairly than remedy it. She is at the moment the top of La-Roche-sur-Yon’s youth part.
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David San Jose
David San Jose was chargeable for all of the non-footballing actions at Clairefontaine. Like Roujas, San Jose was additionally on the centre of an argument in 2013 when has despatched a provocative textual content to an underage baby. Nonetheless, he remained in his job for an additional seven years.
Molina mentioned that no motion was taken in opposition to San Jose. The FFF had the ability of utilizing article 85 of its statutes to strip him of his licence. Nonetheless, not solely did the FFF resolve in opposition to it, however it additionally didn’t inform another organisation concerning the choice.
Talking to Josimar, Olympique de Valence common supervisor Malik Vivant mentioned that he didn’t know concerning the incident, Vivant wished to rent San Jose at his membership. “How am I speculated to know he was fired for his behaviour at Clairefontaine? The FFF didn’t inform anybody. So how can the golf equipment know” he informed Josimar.
Romain Molina sacrificed his life to reveal the darkest facet of soccer. What a legend.
— Pi (@mcitypi) November 18, 2021
Different Romain Molina allegations
Molina’s report was not solely restricted to Roujas and San Jose but in addition raised different points. This included Elisabeth Loisel, an ex-football participant who coached the nationwide girls’s workforce for a decade. Throughout that point, a number of allegations have been levelled by gamers in opposition to Loisel. For instance, they alleged that she would drive gamers to have intercourse along with her to be chosen for the nationwide workforce.
An ex-president of a girls’s membership confirmed the allegations to Josimar on anonymity. She mentioned, “I informed my gamers that they’ll go to Clairefontaine, but when they wished to go, there’ll be some dangers”.
And regardless of Le Graet expressing his concern over her skill to educate a soccer workforce, she remained in her job.
Molina additionally talked concerning the case involving monetary director Marc Varin. He was accused of sexual harassment by an FFF worker. Nonetheless, as a substitute of dismissing him, the soccer affiliation sided with him.
The employment tribunal dominated in opposition to Varin, and the worker received the case.
Molina additionally talked about Gaelle Dumas, a former France youth coach who was suspended after complaints of harassment in opposition to her. The alleged incidents came about on the FFF-owned Blagnac centre of excellence. All of the victims have been reported to be underage women.
Josimar additionally reported on circumstances reminiscent of that of Ligue de la Reunion président Yves Etheve, who has been accused of sexual harassment. He’s at the moment dealing with a felony trial.
Then there may be Francis-Pierre Coche, coach of France’s girls’s workforce within the Eighties. In line with Molina, he was suspended on alleged sexual blackmail and harassment complaints. Nonetheless, the FFF has by no means acknowledged the incident publicly.
L’affaire de l’agression de Kheira Hamraoui, en novembre dernier, a connu un nouvel épisode : sa désormais ancienne coéquipière, Aminata Diallo, a été placée en détention provisoire, soupçonnée de « violences aggravées » et « affiliation de malfaiteurs » https://t.co/vTQFcPAaea pic.twitter.com/7ESZc23IRE
— L’ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) September 16, 2022
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Different Romain Molina expose
This isn’t the primary Romain Molina expose on the problems plaguing soccer. Earlier, he had reported concerning the inefficiencies inside FFF. Molina had mentioned {that a} footballer who at the moment performs in certainly one of Europe’s prime golf equipment had assaulted a lady in 2018. The participant threw the lady to the bottom earlier than flashing his genitals onto her face. Nonetheless, the matter was coated up by his then membership and FFF.
Molina additionally alleged that an ex-French footballer used to smuggle unlawful commodities by hiding them of their non-public components.
Molina had additionally alleged that the majority African FA Presidents had used prostitution providers. He added that the daughters of those excessive officers have been finding out in different international locations on the FA’s expense.
