A year ago, Idrissa Gueye, then a Paris-Saint-Germain player, refused to wear a rainbow flocked jersey as part of the day against homophobia. In response, the former international referee and president of the Mayenne football district Nicolas Pottier publicly revealed his homosexuality. Having meanwhile become federal coordinator of arbitration for the French Football Federation, he is saddened, without being surprised, to see history repeat itself, with the veto of several Ligue 1 and Ligue 1 players. 2 on the last day of the championship last weekend. Interview.
L’Express: Were you surprised that several Ligue 1 players refused to wear a rainbow jersey as part of the day against homophobia?
Nicholas Potter: No way. It is in the continuity of the Idrissa Gueye affair, which made me want to communicate about my homosexuality. The players still haven’t understood that at the highest level, they also have a duty to set an example. The position of some of the coaches testifies to selfishness and a lack of hindsight, even a problem of intelligence. When we claim, as Eric Roy did [NDLR : entraîneur de Brest], that the championship is distorted because of a day, it is that we take people for idiots. If we lack points in the standings, it’s not because of the Day Against Homophobia…
Is this initiative, primarily symbolic in nature, really effective in combating homophobia?
Yes, from the moment it gets people talking and provokes debate. It reveals the extent of the problem. I am convinced that if we had replaced “fight against homophobia” by “fight against racism”, there would have been no difficulty.
Does homophobia seem to you to be on the rise in the world of football?
I would find it hard to talk about professional fields, which I left in 2016. Today’s kids seem more open to me. From this point of view, same-sex marriage has changed things. But in the stadiums, things are not improving, to hear the homophobic songs. Even if the refusals to join the fight against homophobia only concern a tiny minority of players, we missed something.
Cases of coming out remain very rare among high-level footballers…
We need to change mentalities. What are the players afraid of? To be touched in the shower by a homosexual teammate? If so few players have come out, there is a fundamental problem. But it should not be limited to football, which only reflects society.
In your opinion, is it above all a problem of religion? Some of the players concerned, Muslims, emphasize respect for their beliefs…
A priori, there is undoubtedly a greater proportion of cases of homophobia among Muslim footballers. That said, as I observe in my district, bullshit has no borders and concerns everyone without exception.
Is the problem bigger in football than in other sports?
In rugby, I doubt it. But this sport is capable of turning the negative into a positive: a number of clubs are sponsored by a gay dating app. In football, we are much too old fashioned. I had to stay hidden for a long time, and because of homophobia, my career could not be completed. At the highest level, as long as no player comes out, we will not move forward. Antoine Griezmann said [NDLR : dans une interview au magazine Têtu, en mai 2019] that he would be proud to play alongside a homosexual player, that does not make him a homosexual! I need a little intelligence.
How to fight against this scourge?
By avoiding putting dust under the carpet. Maybe the LFP [NDLR : Ligue de Football Professionnel] lack of stakeholders in the matter, or that its communication is not complete enough. She’s working on the subject, but I don’t know her action plan. I had asked her in 2019 to bring my experience, I had been received, but since then, no more news…
The clubs themselves are not structured enough. At the district level, there is a federal educational program, part of which deals with homosexuality. In the territories, there are plenty of people who work well. We lack courage in this fight. Beyond the sporting bodies, we need the help of political power. The Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, is very committed to this issue.
Still, the championship benefits from the showcase of PSG, property of a country, Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal… Isn’t the League hypocritical?
You are right. It reminds me of the World Cup in Qatar, and those who pretended to discover this allocation a month before the competition… We have to rediscover the values of Olympism.