En français / Annie Sugier évoque la décision catastrophique de la FIFA sur le voile islamique

Dans le Monde, une tribune de notre amie Annie Sugier du comité Atlanta Plus :


A quelques semaines des Jeux olympiques (JO) de Londres, l'affaire est d'importance. Il s'agit pour l'IFAB (International Association Board), organisme ayant autorité en matière de règles du football, de confirmer la levée de l'interdiction du port du hijab par les footballeuses. La décision finale devant être prise le 5 juillet à Zurich, lors de la réunion extraordinaire de l'IFAB.

Le débat sur ce sujet épineux a connu divers rebondissements, dont l'exclusion en début d'année 2011 de l'équipe de football féminine d'Iran lors des épreuves de qualification pour les JO de Londres. Motif : les joueuses portaient un hijab couvrant tout leur corps alors que la FIFA avait exigé, à titre de compromis, qu'au moins le cou et les oreilles soient découverts.

Le 3 mars, nouveau retournement, l'IFAB décide de lever l'interdiction du port du hijab, au prétexte que le hijab est "un signe culturel et non religieux", façon astucieuse de contourner le règlement de la FIFA (loi 4) qui interdit que l'équipement des joueurs comporte des signes politiques, religieux ou personnels.

UN GROUPE DE TRAVAIL PROVIDENTIEL

Pour arriver à cette conclusion, le vice-président de la FIFA, le prince Ali de Jordanie, avait dû mobiliser un groupe de travail ad hoc, en octobre 2011 à Amman.

Il balayait ainsi la portée des déclarations de Farida Shojaee, responsable du département femme de la Fédération iranienne de football, selon laquelle "les officiels de la FIFA ont confondu le hijab religieux avec un costume national".

Il balayait tout autant les analyses des spécialistes des textes musulmans qui, à l'instar de Samir Amghar, chercheur à l'Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, affirme sans la moindre ambigüité : "Les quatre écoles de jurisprudence dans la théologie musulmane qui édictent les normes en matière de loi islamique sont unanimes à affirmer que le port du voile relève d'une obligation religieuse."

Il restait juste à savoir si le hijab sportif était sans danger.

NOUVEAUX REBONDISSEMENTS

A la surprise générale, la Commission des experts médicaux de la FIFA, chargée d'examiner les résultats des tests de sécurité réalisés sur différents échantillons de hijab, fait état, lors d'une réunion à Budapest en mai 2012, d'éléments nouveaux la conduisant à réclamer avec force que l'interdiction du port du hijab ne soit pas levée !

Selon le Dr Michel D'Hooghe, chef de cette Commission, des essais supplémentaires, sont nécessaires, "certains médecins, y compris de pays musulmans", considèrent que le port du hijab par les footballeuses "présenterait des risques de lésion au niveau du cou et de la carotide en cas de collision lorsque celle-ci se produit à grande vitesse". Le prince Ali, se dit "choqué" et affirme que ces points ont déjà été vérifiés. Indigné, il exige que le Dr D'Hooghe's fournisse des preuves, oubliant que lui-même n'avait produit aucun rapport à l'appui de ses dires.

Le comique de l'affaire c'est que la FIFA – qui a eu au moins le grand mérite de tenter de résister aux diktats de Téhéran – se trouve tiraillée entre les parties prenantes d'un débat sans fin.

Il est tout aussi paradoxal de voir que les promoteurs "de la culture de la modestie et du hijab pour les femmes à travers le monde", veulent à tout prix faire croire que le hijab et le sport sont faits l'un pour l'autre. C'est oublier que le sport c'est d'abord la fête du corps, et que le hijab est une stigmatisation du corps féminin.

Le plus logique ne serait-il pas de revenir à l'application de la règle unique qui impose la neutralité politique et religieuse dans le sport ?

Annie Sugier est l'auteure de Femmes voilées aux Jeux olympiques (2012, ed. Jourdan).

En français / Sport international : la laïcité, sauf quand il s'agit de femmes

D'une part, on voit que les instances olympiques sont à cheval lorsqu'il s'agit du Ramadan. C'est normal : la pratique du culte n'a pas à s'insinuer dans la pratique sportive internationale. Mais étrangement, lorsqu'il s'agit d'opprimer les femmes, le sport ne trouve rien à redire (voir ci dessous).


Du site ajib.fr:

Cette année, les dates des Jeux Olympiques d’été de Londres coïncident avec celles du mois sacré de Ramadan. Près de 3000 athlètes seraient concernés par les effets du jeûne, soit quasiment 25% des sportifs. Chiffres qui n’ont pas l’air de gêner le CIO et les organisateurs Londoniens qui restent fermes sur la question depuis sept ans.
Le jeûne durant les épreuves

Il y a sept ans, lors de l’attribution des Jeux, de nombreux comités olympiques nationaux avaient exprimé leurs inquiétudes. 2 500 à 3 000 athlètes seraient concernés par le jeûne du mois de Ramadan. Ces derniers sont censés ni boire ni manger entre le lever et le coucher du soleil, ce qui pourrait avoir des conséquences sur leur santé physique les jours d’épreuves.

Cette année, le jeûne durera plus de 12h entre l’heure de El-Fajr et de El-Maghreb au moment des Jeux. Ce qui constitue une épreuve en soit pour tous les jeûneurs, qu’Allah agréé nos actions. Les athlètes prennent-ils un risque même s’ils s’y sont préparés ? Londres n’est pas la capital des températures arides, cependant un sportif ressent une soif importante après un très grand effort physique.

La laïcité coûte que coûte

Le CIO et le Comité Organisateur Londonien sont restés fermes sur la question. Lassana Palenfo a été employé par le CIO pour aplanir les angles avec les pays réticents face à cette conjecture. En effet, l’Égypte, le Maroc et la Turquie ne comprennent pas cette décision. L’Ivoirien Lassana Palenfo rétorque que « les Jeux doivent rester apolitiques et areligieux. Si l’on cède, les bouddhistes, les juifs demanderont des aménagements ». « La religion doit rester une affaire personnelle », a-t-il conclu.

La laïcité est sportive. Elle s’invite même aux Jeux Olympiques. Les pratiques religieuses de chacun ne doivent bien entendu pas entrer dans le stade, mais le jeûne de près de 25% des athlètes aurait dû être pris en considération. Dans le cadre des Jeux Olympiques, ces musulmans débutent cette grande compétition avec une difficulté supplémentaire. Mais nous connaissons la récompense du jeûneur. Elle est bien plus grande qu’une médaille d’or ou d’argent.

Les anthropologues vont être attentifs et les médias vont s’en donner à cœur joie. Certains athlètes seront peut être forcés de faire un choix, selon leur état de fatigue physique ou mentale. Que Dieu les préserve.

Sur le hidjab, sports.fr :

Outre la technologie sur la ligne de but et les arbitres assistants supplémentaires, la Fifa a confirmé jeudi une décision qui ne manquera pas de faire débat: la levée de l'interdiction faite aux footballeuses de porter le foulard islamique, le hijab. Le fils du roi Hussein de Jordanie, le prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, vice-président de la Fifa et membre du comité exécutif, a donc obtenu gain de cause. Au grand dam des féministes.

L'International Football Association Board (Ifab) a dit oui. Oui à la levée de l'interdiction du port du voile par les footballeuses, proposée en mars dernier, à l'occasion d'une Assemblée Générale de cet organisme lié à la Fifa et ayant autorité en matière de règles du football. Réunis jeudi à Zurich, les quatre membres de la Fifa et les quatre représentants des quatre fédérations du football au Royaume-Uni, qui le composent, ont voté à l'unanimité -de façon temporaire pour une période d'essai- cette décision après avoir étudié des rapports du responsable médical de la Fifa.

Et l'instance internationale du ballon rond de faire volte-face sur un sujet délicat. Le 3 juin 2011, l'équipe féminine d'Iran était ainsi éliminée de la course aux Jeux Olympiques après que ses joueuses ont refusé d'ôter leur voile lors d'une rencontre face à la Jordanie, le règlement de la Fifa prévoyant qu'au moins le cou et les oreilles soient découverts. Une éviction qui avait lancé le coup d'envoi de la campagne menée par le prince Ali Bin Al Hussein de Jordanie, vice-président de la Fifa et membre du comité exécutif, visant à faire changer les lois du jeu.

Une entreprise payante puisque le 3 mars dernier, l'Ifab décide, à la surprise générale, de lever l'interdiction du port du hijab, arguant qu'il s'agit d'un "signe culturel et non religieux". Un avis que ne partage pas Samir Amghar, chercheur à l'Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales cité par Le Monde: "Les quatre écoles de jurisprudence dans la théologie musulmane, qui édictent les normes en matière de loi islamique, sont unanimes à affirmer que le port du voile relève d'une obligation religieuse."

Les féministes remontées

La Fifa, elle, a estimé via son secrétaire général, Jérôme Valcke, que les "questions de sécurité et médicales" ne se posaient plus et que l'interdiction était donc levée. De quoi s'attirer les foudres des féministes. Pour Anne Sugier, présidente de la Ligue du droit international des femmes interrogée par Le Monde, "il est tout aussi paradoxal de voir que les promoteurs "de la culture de la modestie et du hijab pour les femmes à travers le monde", veulent à tout prix faire croire que le hijab et le sport sont faits l'un pour l'autre. C'est oublier que le sport c'est d'abord la fête du corps, et que le hijab est une stigmatisation du corps féminin.

L'association "Ni Putes Ni Soumises", elle, s'inquiétait déjà d'une "régression totale" en mars dernier. "Le plus grave, c'est que c'est une décision qui vient de haut, estimait sa présidente, Asma Guéfini, dans les colonnes du Parisien. Et puis, ça commence par le football et ça se termine par tous les sports. La Fifa ne connaît pas le combat des femmes comme nous. Je pense qu'elle est influencée par un lobbying intense des pays riches d'Orient, notamment le Qatar. Il y a là un revirement de sa part car dans son règlement, il est dit que « les joueurs et les dirigeants ne doivent pas arborer sur leur tenue de message ou de slogan d'ordre politique, religieux, commercial ou personnel ».

La Fifa a donc tout simplement décidé de modifier son règlement pour valider le port d'un accessoire déjà visible sur les terrains de rugby ou dans les combats de taekwondo. Une nouvelle réunion de l'Ifab est prévue en octobre. Non pas pour évoquer la condition de la femme, mais pour discuter des détails, "le seul point restant maintenant est la couleur et le dessin du foulard", a précisé Jérôme Valcke.

En français / Le port du hidjab bientôt autorisé sur les terrains ?

Un reportage dans Elle sur un sujet qui nous tient à coeur, la discrimination sexuelle sur la base de la religion, avec notamment des commentaires d'Annie Sugier du Comité Atlanta Plus, dont la FGG est signatire à l'appel au CIO pour des jeux libres de discrimination :



Le port du hidjab bientôt autorisé sur les terrains ?

Verra-t-on, dans les compétitions internationales, des équipes féminines courir après le ballon couvertes de la tête aux pieds : caleçon long sous le short, manches longues et voile islamique ne laissant apparaître que l’ovale du visage ? Le 5 juillet prochain, la FIFA (la fédération internationale de football) pourrait autoriser le port du hidjab sur les terrains. Une petite révolution qui risque de se faire dans l’indifférence générale. Depuis que l’International Board (IFAB), l’instance qui réglemente le jeu, a donné son feu vert de principe, le 3 mars dernier, l’affaire n’a pas mobilisé les foules. Aucune sportive n’a réagi publiquement. Sollicitées, la FFF (Fédération française de football) refuse de s’exprimer et la FIFA indique qu’elle ne communiquera sur le sujet qu’une fois la décision arrêtée. Seule une poignée de féministes brandit le carton rouge. Cette décision pourrait pourtant être lourde de conséquences.

Continuer à lire ICI.

FGG, along with IGLFA and Football v Homophobia, present letter to Brazilian and Russian Ambassadors

Today the French Olympic Committee hosted at its headquarters the 17th annual strategic conferences of the IRIS think tank. The theme of the conferences was "The strategic stakes for sport" (program HERE).

Originally the Brazilian and Russian ambassadors to France were to speak during the session devoted to "competition for the organization of world-class sports competitions". The FGG wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to call on these countries to respect human rights for all and to ensure that homophobia not spoil the events they'll be hosting (each country will be hosting both the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games). Our primary concern of course is Russia.

We were joined by FGG member organization International Gay and Lesbian Football Association, and by Football v Homophobia (read below). The goal was to have Marc Naimark, FGG vice president for external affairs, present these letters by hand to the ambassadors (who were in fact replaced by embassy advisors).

During the session, another participant raised the question of human rights in host countries. We expected a denial of any problems from the Russian embassy, but the response was particularly grotesque, along the lines of "Human rights? We don't respect human rights in Russia? I am totally confused by your question!" The response from the Brazilian representative was hardly better: "We have had enough of certain countries who think they can teach us lessons, who treat us as natives who they need to civilize." And all day long, the organizer of the event, Pascal Boniface, head of IRIS, treated with the greatest contempt any criticism of host countries on human rights grounds. But this is hardly surprising when you learn that Mr Boniface often works as a consultant in the Gulf, and often visits Qatar.(And we'll note in passing that of the 19 moderators and speakers, a grand total of 1 was a woman, former health and sports minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin.)

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You are speaking today at a conference on sport hosted by the French Olympic Committee. You are participating as representatives of your countries, which will soon be hosting major international sports events: the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. Brazil will be hosting the World Cup in 2014, and Russia in 2018, with the Winter Olympics hosted in Sochi in 2014 and the Summer Games in Rio in 2016.

These events must promote the universal values of sport, and in particular the principles of the Olympic Charter which declares that “any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement”.

As LGBT sports organizations, we are concerned by the way in which LGBT athletes, trainers, journalists, officials, volunteers, spectators and fans will be treated at your events. The case of Russia is particularly worrying, given the progression of institutional homophobia in the country, the refusal of a project for a Pride House in Sochi, and a climate of violence and threats.

Everyone must be able to participate in sport, and all the more so for sports events that are supposed to unite people in universal human values.

This is why we are asking you to communicate to the political and sporting authorities of your countries our call for sports events that are open, welcoming, and safe for all, and in particular for LGBT participants, and to offer our assistance to make this so.

En français / La FGG, avec l'IGLFA et Football v Homophobia, interpelle les ambassadeurs russe et brésilien sur l'homophobie

Aujourd'hui s'est tenu au siège du Comité national olympique et sportif français les 17èmes conférences stratégiques annuelles de l'Institut de recherches internationales et stratégiques (IRIS) sur "Les enjeux stratégiques du sport" (programme ICI). 

A l'origine, les ambassadeurs du Brésil et de la Russie devaient intervenir lors de la séance sur "la concurrence sur l'organisation de compétitions sportives mondialisées". Voulant profiter de l'occasion pour interpeller les autorités de ces pays par rapport à nos préoccupations relatives aux effets de l'homophobie lors de la tenue de la Coupe du monde et les JO dans leurs pays (en fait, on se soucie surtout de l'homophobie dans la Russie), la FGG se proposait d'écrire un appel à ces pays à respecter les droits de tous, et de faire en sorte que l'homophobie soit exclue de ces manifestations.

On a été rejoint par l'International Gay and Lesbian Football Association, membre de la FGG, et Football v Homophobia dans cet appel (lire ci dessous). Le but était de profiter de la présence de Marc Naimark, vice-président de la FGG chargé des affaires extérieures, pour remettre en main propre cette lettre aux deux ambassadeurs, remplacés de fait par de hauts conseillers de leurs ambassades.

Lors de la session, un autre participant a évoqué la question du respect des droits de l'homme. On s'attendait à un déni de la part de l'ambassade russe, mais la réponse s'est avérée particulièrement éhontée. En gros : "Droits de l'homme ? On ne respecterait pas les droits de l'homme en Russie ? Je suis très surpris par cette question !" La réponse de l'ambassade brésilienne n'était guère meilleure. En gros : "On en a assez de certains pays qui se permettent de donner des leçons, nous traitant d'indigènes qu'il faut civiliser." Et tout le long de la journée, l'organisateur de la journée, Pascal Boniface, directeur de l'IRIS, a traité avec le plus grand mépris toute critique des pays hôtes de manifestations sportives au nom des droits de l'homme. En fait, lorsqu'on apprend qu'il consulte souvent pour les pays du Golfe, qu'il a beaucoup travaillé au Qatar, une telle attitude n'est pas vraiment étonnante.(On remarquera que dans la journée qu'il a organisée, sur les 19 intervenants, 1 seule était une femme, à savoir Roselyne Bachelot.)

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Monsieur l'Ambassadeur, Monsieur le Ministre conseiller,


Aujourd'hui vous intervenez lors d’une manifestation sur le sport tenu au Comité national olympique et sportif français. Vous parlez en tant que représentants de vos pays qui reçoivent bientôt de grandes manifestations sportives internationales : la coupe du monde FIFA et les Jeux olympiques. En effet, le Brésil reçoit la coupe du monde en 2014, la Russie en 2018, alors que les jeux d'hiver se tiendront à Sochi en 2014 et les jeux d'été à Rio en 2016.


Ces manifestations doivent véhiculer les valeurs universelles du sport, et notamment des principes de la Charte olympique qui déclare que « toute forme de discrimination à l’égard d’un pays ou d’une personne fondée sur des considérations de race, de religion, de politique, de sexe ou autres est incompatible avec l’appartenance au Mouvement olympique. »


En tant qu'organisations issues de la communauté lesbienne, gaie, bi et trans (LGBT), nous sommes préoccupées par l'accueil des hommes et des femmes sportifs, cadres sportifs, presse, officiels, bénévoles, journalistes, ou spectateurs et supporters LGBT lors de ces manifestations. Le cas de la Russie est particulièrement inquiétant, étant donné la progression de l'homophobie institutionnelle dans ce pays, le refus d'un projet de Pride House à Sochi, et un climat de violences et menaces.


Tous doivent pouvoir participer au sport, encore plus lorsqu'il s'agit de manifestations censées rassembler le monde entier autour de valeurs universelles humanistes.


C'est ainsi que nous vous prions de transmettre aux responsables politiques et sportifs de votre pays notre appel pour des manifestations sportives ouvertes, accueillantes, et sûres pour tous, et en particulier pour les participants LGBT, ainsi que notre proposition de collaborer pour ce faire.


En vous remerciant de votre attention, veuillez agréer, Messieurs les Ambassadeurs, l'expression de notre très haute considération.

French sports minister responds, sort of, on homophobic host of FIFA World Cup

As we reported earlier, Paris-area regional councillor Jean Luc Roméro has written to the French minister for sport with regard to the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar, a country which bans entry for HIV-positive foreigners and where homosexuality is illegal.

During his remarks as opening speaker of the 4 April 2012 study day on sport and HIV held at the headquarters of the French Olympic Committee, Roméro recalled this important issue. 

French Minister for Sport David Douillet has responded to Roméro's letter, which had been sent to Douillet"s precedessor. The response has taken a great deal of time, but website Yagg.com has obtained a copy of it.

Douillet, known for his own homophobic and sexist statements, completely ignores the issue of homosexuality. And with regard to HIV status, he claims that this is not an issue, for testing is only required for those staying two months or more. In fact, according to this website, the length of time one can visit without testing is only one month, which means that many players, visitors, and workers would be concerned by this ban.

Douillet also claims that holding sport events improves the respect for humanist values.

FIFA approves violation of its own rules to support religious oppression of women athletes

Ligue du droit international des femmes

6 Place Saint Germain des Prés
75006 Paris
www.ldif.asso.fr

Femix’Sports
48 avenue du Général Leclerc
92240, L’Hay-les-Roses

Coordination française pour le Lobby européen des femmes
6 rue de la Rochefoucauld
75009, Paris




Mister Joseph S. Blatter, President
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
FIFA strasse 20
PO BOX 8044
Zurich, Switzerland


Paris, December 21, 2011



Subject: Wearing the hijab on the pitch
Reference: Executive Committee meeting in Tokyo (16-17/12/2011)


Mister President:

We are disappointed and deeply concerned to hear that FIFA - in view of the London 2012 Olympics – has endorsed a proposal to lift the ban on women players wearing a hijab on the pitch (1).

To accept a special dress code for women athletes not only introduces discrimination among athletes but is contrary to the rules governing sport movement, setting a same dress code for all athletes without regard to origin or belief.

FIFA rules bear no ambiguity: “The basic compulsory equipment must not contain any political, religious or personal statements” (law 4). Neither does the Olympic Charter: « No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic site, venues or other areas » (rule 51).

The motives for FIFA reversal are not acceptable. It is now alleged that hijab may be accepted as a “cultural rather than a religious symbol” and therefore does not any longer contradict the rule.


FIFA is therefore accepting the recommendation of the workshop that took place in Amman last October, under prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein’s authority (the brother of the king of Jordan) and FIFA Vice-President, in order to satisfy the most conservative Islamic states.

To pretend that hijab is a cultural and not a religious symbol is not only preposterous, but untrue as the picture below shows very well.

You neither can put aside the fact that the conflict that has opposed FIFA to the Iranian regime is linked to Tehran’s will to impose its own religious law (2) to women’s sport.

Ms Farida Shojaee,vice-president of the women’s department of the Iranian Football Federation, who now pretends that hijab is a cultural sign, claimed not long ago that :“FIFA officials have mistaken the religious hijab for national dress, claiming that if they were allowed to participate with Islamic hijab, other participants might also demand to appear in their respective traditional costumes » ( April 5, 2010, Duncan Mackay, Inside the Games).

You cannot have missed that the “Accept and Respect Declaration” (3) focuses on the ‘Islamic dress code’ and has been issued by groups advocating a change in sports regulations in order to be “inclusive for Muslim women” (« we urge international sport federations to show their commitment to inclusion by ensuring that their dress code for competition embrace Islamic requirements »).

We cannot but understand that you have chosen to ignore the strategy of Iran to contribute to women’s issues by “the promotion of the culture of modesty and hijab on a worldwide scale” (4)?

You will admit that this statement gives an entirely different meaning to the word “culture” than the meaning you feign to believe as it clearly aims to impose a political religious outfit for women, that covers entirely their body.

There is nothing new as already Ms Faezeh Hashemi, dressed in a black chador, said in her opening speech of the First Islamic Solidarity Games in Tehran (1993): “I hope these Games will serve as pattern for the free women of the world”.

Sport must stay clear of political and religious interfering. Its aim also is to eliminate all forms of discrimination.

FIFA ruling is about to abandon this noble aim and FIFA will be accountable for that.

As a last word, we are sad at the betrayal of your recent firm declaration: “The first specificity of sport concerns its pyramidal structure, with the IOC and International Federations at the top and its universality, based on global regulations applied to everyone, at the national and continental level. This is what makes sport such a powerful force for bringing together people of different nationalities” (Sport and Citizenship, December January 2010).

Sincerely yours,

Annie Sugier
LDIF president

Danièle Salva
Femix’Sports president

Olga Trostiansky
CLEF president



(1) The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer, December 19, 2011, James M. Dorsey
(2) Iran is under Islamic law – a religious and not a cultural one - which was not the case before 1979 (see article IV of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic : “all civil, penal, financial, economic, administrative, cultural, military, political, and other laws and regulations must be based on Islamic criteria” ; article 638 of the Penal Code “anyone who explicitly violates any religious taboo in public beside being punished for the act should also be imprisoned from ten days to two months, or should be flogged (74 lashes); note : “women who appear in public without a proper hijab should be imprisoned from ten days to two months or pay a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 Ryal”).
(3) Declaration produced and approved at the Oman seminar (February 11th-16th, 2008), organised by the Sultan Qaboos University and IAPESWG (International Association of Physical Education and Sports for Women and Girls).
(4) Invitation to the Second International Conference on Women « Contributions of the Islamic World to Women’s Issues and Analysis of the Consequences of Feminism » May 2009. Invitation sent to Women’s Right NGO all around the world (letter dated April 15, 2009, with an introduction from the Islamic Revolution Leader, Sayed Ali Khamenei).

Outsports roundup

A look at some recent stories from that fount of LGBT sport news, Outsports:

A story from the Windy City Times about the marriage of out pro bowler Scott Norton.

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American Samoa’s Johnny ‘Jayieh’ Saelua is reportedly the first openly transgender player in World Cup football history.

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New York Post columnist Lenn Robbins has a great column slamming St. John’s University college basketball fans for their use of gay slurs during last weekend’s game against the University of Arizona.

More calls for resignation of Sepp Blatter

From the Toronto Globe and Mail:

With his organization still reeling from corruption allegations, FIFA president Sepp Blatter faced calls for his resignation Thursday after saying racial abuse on the soccer field could be settled by a handshake and quickly forgotten.

The comment in television interviews Wednesday drew outrage across soccer. British Prime Minister David Cameron called Blatter’s suggestion “appalling,” while the country’s sports minister urged Blatter to leave “for the sake of the game.” The European Union described his remedy for racism as “completely unacceptable.”

Former Manchester United and English national team player Andrew Cole wrote in a newspaper column that Blatter was “clueless” and an “out-of-touch buffoon.”

Blatter’s latest gaffe follows previous verbal missteps such as suggesting that female players should wear tighter shorts, and gay fans should refrain from having sex at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where homosexual acts are illegal.

Blatter managed to further discredit FIFA just weeks after he won some praise for promising to confront allegations of financial wrongdoing by senior colleagues as part of reforms following damaging allegations of bribery, vote-rigging and ticket scams.

The 75-year-old Swiss official sparked a furor in England, where authorities are investigating two allegations of racial abuse involving Liverpool and Chelsea players in Premier League games.

“This is the latest episode that calls into question whether this man should be the head of world football,” British sports minister Hugh Robertson said. “For the sake of the game, he should go.”

Cameron said “now is not the time for complacency” in the campaign to stamp out racism.

“It’s appalling to suggest that racism in any way should be accepted as part of the game,” Cameron said in a statement. “A lot of work has gone into ridding racism from all aspects of our society, including football.”

[...]

If Blatter did resign, FIFA rules require that his senior vice-president, Julio Grondona of Argentina, take over until a likely election at the next congress, scheduled for May in Budapest, Hungary. Grondona, who is 80 and has led Argentina’s soccer federation since 1979, sparked controversy in 2003 when he said Jewish men could not be top-level referees because they “don’t like hard work.”

Keep reading HERE.

Sepp Blatter comedy tour continues: "No racism on football pitches"

A message to Sepp Blatter: leave comedy to the professionals. After his hilarious (not) "joke" that homosexuals who fear persecution in Qatar (Blatter's choice of host for the 2022 World Cup) should just knock off the shirtlifting, he's made another attempt at humor (we guess that's what he was doing) by claiming that there is no racism on football pitches, and if there is anything approaching racism, the victims should just shake hands with the racists and make nice. Or something. It's kind of hard to follow nonsense humor.

From CNN World Sport:

CNN) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter has told CNN he believes there is no on-field racism in football and that players who think they have been abused should simply say "this is a game."
The head of world soccer insisted FIFA had been tireless in their efforts to combat the specter of racism in football but suggested any player who is abused during a game should shake hands with their opponent upon the final whistle and move on.

The football authorities in England are currently dealing with two high-profile allegations of player-on-player racism, involving Chelsea and England captain John Terry and Liverpool's Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez. Both players deny the claims.

When asked by CNN World Sport anchor Pedro Pinto if racism exists on the field of play Blatter said: "I would deny it.

"There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards the other, he has a word or a gesture which is not the correct one, but also the one who is affected by that, he should say it's a game, we are in a game. At the end of the game, we shake hands, this can happen, because we have worked so hard against racism and discrimination."

Read in full HERE.

Play the Game, Day 4: Is the only difference between FIFA and the mafia the lack of corpses?

Find the Play the Game 2011 website with more information, photos, video, program, etc. HERE.

---

On Thursday, the closing day of the conference, I started with a session on mega-events, featuring French NGO “Sport et citoyenneté”, with Project Manager Marc-Olivier Neu speaking on “the organisation of mega sports events: a double-edged sword”, while Annie Sugier returned to the subject of the visibility of women's participation in such events.

Nikki Dryden (photo Play the Game)

Nikki Dryden, a former Olympic diver who now works as a human rights lawyer, whose talk was entitled “Behind and Beyond the Podium: Change Must Come to Global Sporting”, starting with her own increasing awareness of the social responsibility of athletes durfing her own career, and the litany of problems mega-events generate for athletes, but more importantly for the communities that host these events, in particular the poor, the marginal, the excluded. After previous talks in which speakers noted the temptation of holders of the rights to mega-events to choose as hosts authoritation regimes where there is no rule of law to prevent event organizers from riding roughshod over local communities, Ms Dryden pointed out that democracies, even one as exemplary as Canada, bend over backwards to “adapt” their legislation to the exorbitant demands of rights holders.

Lastly, Daniela Schaaf of the German Sport University spoke on the topic “Mega event – mega impact? How sports tournaments affect national advertising” with an analysis of the perhaps surprisingly large effect of major events on advertising, with an impact far beyond the official corporate sponsors of the event.

Jens Weinrich and Andrew Jennings
(photo Play the Game)

At the same time as the session I attended was taking place another session on corruption in FIFA. This theme was continued in a session on change in sport. Andrew Jennings, the journalist responsible for the BBC reports exposing corruption in FIFA.

Jennings and De Gregorio
(photo Play the Game)

He called on Walter De Gregorio, the newly named director of communications for FIFA, and a last-minute registrant to the conference, to respond to his accusations that FIFA met the definition of organized crime. The response of De Gregorio was somewhat surprising. He said that comparing FIFA to the mafia was outrageous, because unlike the mafia, FIFA had never killed anybody. (!) (More on this HERE)

Harold Mayne-Nicholls and Ingrid Beutler
(photo Play the Game)

Also during this session, Ingrid Beutler, the manager of a new unit in SportAccord responsible for sport integrity and social responsibility, spoke of the rapid progress made in the area of matchfixing, an area where there is a consensus on action, and a domain easier to tackle than corruption and poor governance in the international federations that make up SportAccord.

A more positive viewpoint on the positive impact of sport came from Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the former president of the Chilean football federation.

The next session for me was on disability, with a series of talks showing the impact of media portrayals on perception of disability in sport, and analyses of how various media treat the topic.

FIFA was back on the agenda in the afternoon, with a long intervention by Jérôme Champagne, an ally of Sepp Blatter, and FIFA's officer for international relations before being pushed out by Blatter who feared Champagne as a rival. I for one had difficulty listening to the recommendations of an accomplice to the Blatter regime who insisted on the great progress made during his time in the organization.

Also during this session were talks from Jean-Loup Chappelet, who spoke on the “governance of sport governance: The limits to autonomy”, analyzing the organization of bodies such as the IOC and FIFA, and from Anne Schwoebel of Transparency International Switzerland, who explained the lack of transparency of international sports organisations in Switzerland, the understanding host of so many such organizations.

The main outcome of the conference will be a declaration, the Cologne Consensus, which we will present as soon as the final draft is published.

The FGG thanks Play the Game for an outstanding conference and an opportunity to share the Gay Games movement with so many players in the world of international sport.

Federation of Gay Games, IGLFA, and AllOut respond to FIFA on Nigerian lesbophobia

As we reported earlier, following the letter of protest of the FGG, IGLFA and AllOut, and AllOut's petition regarding reports of lesbophobia on the Nigerian women's football team, FIFA replied asking us to provide "evidence" of this behavior. We have chosen to take FIFA's request at face value, and have replied to FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke as follows: We have received your letter in which you asked us to provide you with evidence about the homophobic statements made by Ms. Uche. Ms. Uche has made such statements several times at Rédigerpress conferences and has been quoted by journalists from several renowned newspapers and press agencies. As you know, the article that prompted the intervention of Ms. Tatjana Haenni was the story appearing in the New York Times (http://gaymes.info/uchenyt). During a phone interview with the journalist, Coach Uche talked about homosexuality as a “dirty issue,” and “spiritually, morally very wrong.” The journalist also relates Ms. Uche's use of religion to “correct” players' homosexuality, combining homophobia with religious discrimination. “The issue of lesbianism is common“ she said to the journalist, “I came to realize it is not a physical battle; we need divine intervention in order to control and curb it. I tell you it worked for us. This is a thing of the past. It is never mentioned.” Should you have any difficulties reaching the reporter of this story, we would be happy to put you directly in contact with her. The New York Times' story refers to statements made by Ms. Uche in a seminar, as reported by Nigerian newpaper the Sun News last March (http://gaymes.info/uchesunnews), five months before Ms. Uche was interviewed by the New York Times. At this event, the 'First Seminar on Women's Football in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects', she said “It's a worrisome experience that some of our players indulge in lesbianism. Some of them go as far as renting rooms in hotels around the team's campsite where they go to satisfy their orgy:” At the very least, Ms. Uche, with the support of her equally homophobic national federation, seems proud to have made homophobia and hate speech part of the ordinary operation of her team. Because of this, we urge you to include the Nigerian Football Federation in your investigation: as a former technical assistant for the country’s soccer federation, James Peters, was also quoted in the Sun News article, saying that he had removed some players from Nigeria’s women’s team “not because they were not good players, but because they were lesbians.” We are repeating our willingness to continue our collaboration with the FIFA in investigating this case, and would like to know when a decision on holding a disciplinary procedure would take place.

Is FIFA really investigating homophobia?

We have more doubts than our friends at AllOut, cosigners of the letter to FIFA to which Jérôme Valcke has now (more than two months later) replied, with regard to what this really means for any investigation of the lesbophobic behavior of Nigerian women's football club Eucharia Uche.

We quote:

"Thus, in the event the FIFA Disciplinary Committee considers having enough evidence to be in a position to open proceedings, it will not fail to do so with the assistance of the FIFA administration."

The request for evidence is odd, as clearly FIFA was aware of the accusations, since they responded (insufficiently) in the form of a social call by Tatjana Haenni, FIFA's head of women's competition.

We are keen to see what action is taken, and will keep our readers informed as soon as we have news.

Read all our blog posts about FIFA HERE.

En français / Appel aux responsables du sport français d'agir pour mettre fin aux pratiques discriminatoires du Qatar

Communiqué de presse du 18 août 2011 de l'association "Elus locaux contre le SIDA" présidée par Jean Luc Romero:

La Coupe du Monde de football au Qatar interdite aux homosexuels et aux séropositifs !

Jean-Luc Romero somme les deux décideurs du football français et mondial et la ministre française des sports de réagir

La balle est désormais dans leur camp !

Le choix du Qatar pour organiser la Coupe du Monde de football en 2022 pose de très graves problèmes selon Jean-Luc Romero, président d’Elus Locaux Contre le Sida : le président d’ELCS rappelle cette situation dramatique : le Qatar punit l’homosexualité de 5 ans de prison et de 90 coups de fouet ! Cela signifie que tout homosexuel pourrait être arrêté et placé en détention lors de la Coupe du Monde ! Le Qatar exige également un test de séropositivité pour toute personne souhaitant résider plus d’un mois sur son territoire. Si la séropositivité est découverte, la personne est tout simplement expulsée ! Ces discriminations sont tout simplement inacceptables, intolérables et en complète contradiction avec les valeurs portées par le football, des valeurs de solidarité, d’entraide et de tolérance.

Jean-Luc Romero a donc saisi officiellement Mme Chantal Jouano, ministre des sports, M. Noël Le Graët, président de la Fédération française de football, et M. Sepp Blatter, président de la FIFA, leur demandant expressément une intervention auprès du Qatar afin que ce pays dépénalise l’homosexualité et mette fin aux discriminations subies par les personnes vivant avec le sida.

Jean-Luc Romero attend une vraie action déterminée et non une réaction méprisante telle que l’a été celle de Sepp Blatter qui, saisi de ce problème, a simplement déclaré : « je pense qu’ils devraient s’abstenir de toute activité sexuelle ». Trait d’esprit, sur la forme, grotesque et, sur le fond, porteur de bien des préjugés …

Le président d’ELCS rappelle que, au-delà des intérêts financiers, c’est bien les valeurs qui doivent primer. Il fait le parallèle avec les Conférences internationales sur le sida : les organisateurs de ces manifestations ont toujours refusé de les tenir dans des pays qui interdisaient aux personnes séropositives d’entrer sur leur territoire. Ils ont été fermes sur ce principe même quand il s’agissait de la première puissance mondiale, les Etats-Unis. Cette détermination a payé puisque les USA ont aboli cette législation discriminatoire permettant, en 2012, la tenue à Washington de cette conférence.

Jean-Luc Romero le dit clairement : si Chantal Jouano, Noël Le Graët et Sepp Blatter n’interviennent pas, ils valideront le fait que le développement économique passe avant la dignité, que les discriminations sont acceptables quand les enjeux financiers sont importants et donc que la Coupe du Monde n’est vraiment pas une fête pour tous ! A leur façon – celle de ceux qui souhaitent conserver les mains propres – ils justifieront la haine et la violence homophobes.

Jean-Luc Romero attend désormais de voir quelles valeurs les décideurs veulent voir porter en haut de l’affiche. La balle est dans leur camp !

Flashmob - Give Homophobia the Red Card !

Anti-​homophobia activists were calling on FIFA to publicly condemn homophobia. A group led by international gay rights organization AllOut​.org and the FGG member Club FVV had organized a “flashmob” demonstration in Frankfurt to take place before the opening whistle of the semi-​final game of the Women’s World Cup, on July 13, the dayFIFA, the International Federation of Association Football — which is the international governing body of association football, futsal and beach football — has set aside as their official “Day Against Discrimination.”

Although homophobia in football is a long-​standing issue, remarks made earlier this year by Nigerian coach Eucharia Uche — that she’d kicked players off ther team “not because they were bad players, but because they were lesbians” — is at the heart of this protest.

FIFA’s response to the allegations against Uche had been very tepid. FIFA’s head of women’s competitions Tatjana Haenni said that FIFA had been “talking to” Uche, and pointing out to her that “it would be best to express oneself neutrally.” In addition, FIFA committed to a “Day Against Discrimination,” and directed the public to their “position on discriminating statements” in the meantime.

For AllOut​.org and the IGLFA, the response was not enough. Neither was it sufficient for the 45,000 people who signed a petition calling on FIFA to publicly condemn homophobia in sport, or for the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA), or the Federation of Gay Games (FGG), all of whom endorsed the campaign.

Now, activists dressed as referees had gathered in front of the Frankfurt Football stadium on July 13 to urge FIFA to back up their discrimination policy, beginning with a full investigation into coach Uche.

“Anyone who has played or watched football knows that there are consequences for breaking the rules of the game,’ said Andre Banks, co-​founder of AllOut​.org in a press release. “It is time for FIFA to finally cry foul and give Coach Uche the red card, sending a strong message that discrimination against lesbian and gay players will not be tolerated on or off the field.”

The Flashmob has been covered by the mass media, among others we have spotted
- Bild : the best-selling tabloid in Europe and has the sixth-largest circulation worldwide. (www.bild.de)
- Sueddeutsche Zeitung : the largest German national subscription daily newspaper (http://www.sueddeutsche.de)
- the local LGBT media : GAB magazin (http://www.inqueery.de/)

Auf Deutsch / 13 July 2011 / Flashmob "Rote Karte für Homophobie"

A message from FGG member FVV:

Flashmob "Rote Karte für Homophobie"
Mittwoch 13/07/2011, 19 uhr - 22 uhr
Vor der Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt

Der Nigerianische Fussballverband betreibt seit Jahren eine Hexenjagd auf lesbische Fussballspielerinnen in der Nationalmannschaft. Im Rahmen eines Interviews mit der New York Times hat Trainerin Uche kürzlich damit geprahlt, dass sie das "große Problem mit den Lesben" bewältigt habe.

Die FIFA hat sich bis heute nicht von diesen Äusserungen distanziert!!!

Wir brauchen Deine Hilfe: Lass uns die Fifa gemeinsam auffordern, sich eindeutig gegen Homophobie im Fussball auszusprechen!

Wie? Komm am obigen Datum um 19 Uhr zur S-Bahn Haltestelle "Sportfeld" Ausgang Richtung Stadion. Dresscode "schwarzes Oberteil". Wir statten Dich mit einer Trillerpfeife und roten Karten (Flyern zum obigen Thema) aus.

Die Gelegenheit ist einmalig: Nie wieder in den nächsten Jahren bekommen wir soviel Aufmerksamkeit. Frau Uche hat uns eine Steilvorlage gegeben. Lasst sie uns nutzen!!!

Why is FIFA homophobic? It's Beyoncé's fault. Really. Sort of.

From The Daily Beast:

How FIFA Outgrew Homophobia–Almost


The inside story of how a gay-rights activist nearly persuaded the World Soccer Federation to clean up its act and denounce heterosexist bigotry. Stefan Theil on an ugly record of prejudice and discrimination.
Jul 1, 2011 8:09 PM EDT

One of the mightiest bastions of homophobia in the developed world recently came tantalizingly close to falling. The not-quite occasion was the June 26 opening of the women's soccer World Cup in Berlin. The sport’s governing body, FIFA—the scandal-plagued World Soccer Federation—has come under attack lately for its unenlightened attitude toward gays. The uproar began with the federation’s controversial decision to award the 2022 men's World Cup to the authoritarian gulf emirate of Qatar, where homosexuality is outlawed and gays are legally subject to flogging and imprisonment. Then FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter, really put his foot in his mouth at a press conference last December when a reporter raised the question of gay soccer fans who would be afraid to attend. Blatter laughed out loud and quipped: “Then they should refrain from any sexual activities.” (He later apologized).

The criticism grew even more furious this June, when The New York Times quoted the Nigerian national women’s coach, Eucharia Uche, as crediting Christian prayer and “divine intervention” for helping to purge all lesbians from her team. (Divine intervention did not prevent Nigeria from losing to France one-to-nil on the Cup’s opening day.) FIFA later issued a statement saying Uche denies “allegations” that she made any homophobic remarks.

In any case, such bigotry goes far beyond Nigeria. Last November, for example, Croatian soccer president Vladimir (Vlatko) Markovic publicly vowed never to allow gay players on a Croatian team because “only healthy people” play soccer. With attitudes like this, it’s hardly surprising that not a single big-league male player in any of the 208 FIFA member countries has ever come out as gay. Only in women’s soccer have a few lesbian players come out of the closet in recent years—and at least one, South Africa's Eudy Simelane, was gang-raped and murdered in 2008 after revealing her homosexuality. South African gay activists say the crime was an example of "corrective rape," a practice that some South Africans consider a way to turn lesbian women straight.



FIFA’s Stone Age views seemed likely to persist indefinitely—that is, until the federation ran into Robert Kastl, the organizer of Berlin’s annual Gay Pride Parade. Sloppy organizers in the host city had promised both FIFA and Kastl the use of the central square in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate for their respective events on the same day, June 25—FIFA for the official World Cup opening event the night before the first game, and Kastl for the 700,000 revelers attending the parade [Note: At which the FGG and GLISA International were presented with the organization's Civil Courage Prize].



Kastl sent the 75-year-old Blatter a letter—half-jokingly and not even expecting a response, he says—offering to reroute the parade if FIFA would agree to issue a public denunciation of homophobia. The federation had taken similar steps in the past by launching high-profile campaigns to combat racism and soccer hooliganism. Hoping to win the coveted space without a public brawl, World Cup officials gave in to most of Kastl's demands, with the backing of FIFA headquarters in Zurich. According to people directly involved in the negotiations, including Kastl, a Berlin city official, and two World Cup organizers, the two sides reached agreement that FIFA would not only explicitly denounce homophobia with a first-ever official statement from Zurich, but the federation would also include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination campaign and would advertise the fact on a field-side billboard in Berlin's Olympic Stadium during the opening game.

It was not to be. On the brink of FIFA’s historic announcement, World Cup organizers abruptly canceled the Brandenburg Gate event. They had hoped to attract blockbuster stars like Pink or Beyoncé, but by early spring hadn't signed up any big-name talent. No longer needing the Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop, the federation backed away from its commitments. "The reason FIFA no longer feels obligated to continue is that this issue is still very difficult for them," says a German soccer official speaking on the condition of anonymity. "There are a lot of member countries that still have problems with homosexuality, to put it mildly. And the people running FIFA are of a generation that has great difficulties speaking openly about the subject."

And FIFA seems to think it has more important fights to fight. In response to Western worries that the 2022 World Cup would be a boring affair in mostly dry Qatar, the emirate has agreed to allow special fan zones inside the stadiums where alcohol will be permitted, so that fans can get properly tipsy to enjoy the games. Just as long as they don’t get too close to each other.

Is religious interference in sport only bad when it's Christian?

From the CBC:

Soccer referee Sarah Benkirane has been told she can no longer work for Quebec's Lac St. Louis Regional Soccer Association because she wears a hijab. The 15-year-old has been refereeing games on Montreal's West Island and Vaudreuil, which is located just off the island, for the past two years but was informed by association officials that she had been cut as a referee because of rules prohibiting religious garments on the pitch.

"I always felt like I was equal growing up in Canada, so I don't understand why they're going to take this right away from me," said Benkirane, who has worn a hijab since she was 12. The teen said a complaint was made to the association, which led to the loss of her summer job.

The Lac St. Louis Regional Soccer Association told CBC it follows the rules laid out by the Quebec Soccer Federation and referred all questions to that group. In a statement released Monday, the Quebec Soccer Federation said it upholds Rule 4 set out by FIFA, the international soccer governing body, which prohibits religious statements in team uniforms.

"The situation is clear," the statement reads. "Wearing a hijab is not allowed on Quebec's soccer fields just as necklaces, earrings, rings are prohibited, and we will follow the rule until FIFA says otherwise."

Read in full HERE.

Oddly enough, some groups that are very (justifiably) irate when the coach of the Nigerian women's football team excluded players suspected of being lesbians on (Christian) religious grounds find it normal that religion be present in women's sport when the religion is Islam. And yet the rules are clear for all; religion has no place on the football pitch. The rules of football are the Law of the Game, not the Koran and not the Christian Bible, either. So we are surprised by this effort to organize protest matches:

Red Card FIFA! Massive Solidarity Soccer Game July 7 2 -3 pm

WHO: Muslim sisters be ready to play soccer in your jerseys and sports attire. Please come in either a white hijab or coloured hijab so we can split into teams. Allies and sisters who choose to not wear hijab, please come in your soccer jerseys, and bring your cheers and chants to support us.

WHY: Girls and women who wear hijab are being sidelined from the soccer field. Globally FIFA has banned the Iranian women’s team from playing for wearing headscarves, and Jordan’s team has also been banned for the same reason. Locally, in the Montreal area, a young woman was recently prevented from refereeing a soccer game while wearing hijab. It is an offense that FIFA and Quebec’s Lac St. Louis Regional Soccer Association are banning women and girls who wear hijab from participating in soccer. We are advocating for the rights of all women to be active, including having the opportunity to participate in organized sports. For many girls and women, playing sports is a way of staying healthy, building self-esteem, and being part of a strong community. No one should be denied these opportunities because of their religious beliefs and practices.

Other ways you can make your voice heard:

1. Write to FIFA and Quebec’s Lac St. Louis Regional Soccer Association to express your support for the right of all women and girls to play soccer, including women who wear hijab. Recently a young woman in Quebec, Sarah Benkirane, was fired from her referee job for wearing a hijab; Jordan and Iran’s female soccer teams cannot play in the FIFA world cup due to this ban. Once you have written, spread the word to friends and family through word of mouth, phone, text and social media.

2. Tweet FIFA at @FIFAcom about the importance of allowing all women and girls to play sports. Use the hash tag #right2wear.

3. Check out our tumblr page at right2wear.tumblr.com, and send us your own stories, pictures and videos about the importance of sports in your life as a Muslim woman, or .

4. Most importantly: Organize a soccer match in your community! Invite Muslim women and girls to get off the sidelines and show that we got game. Allies are welcomed to lead cheers, chants and support us in red carding FIFA’s anti-hijab ruling. Send the information and pictures to us, so we can keep track of what you’ve all been up to.

Right 2 Wear movement wants to challenge people’s obsession with Muslim women and girl’s wardrobes. We are tired of everyone - governments, our families, religious scholars, the justice system, our peers - being obsessed with what we wear. Muslim women and girls have the right to choose how we outwardly express our faith and religion. We have the right to wear what we please!

Sorry, but no, you do not "have the rightr to wear what [you] please". You are playing a sport, the sport has rules as to what players wear, and your invocation of your religion has no place in sport. You're free to play wherever and however you want in whatever gear you want, for example in these protest matches, but you can't be part of the international sports movement if you reject its rules. That's not fair play.

And if there is an "obsession" with what you wear, it seems to be yours. All you have to do is follow the rules. It's not that hard. And perhaps you could devote some of your energy to working toward the freedom of Maryam Majd, arrested by the Islamist regime in Iran for, among other things, supporting the right of women to play football... and even to watch it (because those protest matches of yours could not be shown in many Islamist countries, due to the presence of women without hijabs).

If you support the right of women to participate in sport free from religious pressure, write to FIFA on this page: fifa.com/contact/form.html and while you're at it, ask FIFA to take action to free Maryam Majd.

En français / Maintenant que le PSG a été vendu à la puissance homophobe qatarie, quid de son engagement contre l'homophobie et son soutien au Paris Foot Gay ?

Pro football club Paris St Germain is the partner club for activist club Paris Foot Gay. PSG has itself been heavily involved with actions against homophobia in football, in particular as the first pro club to sign the charter against homophobia in football. In this article from Les Inrocks, questions about the future are raised:

La reprise du Paris Saint-Germain par un groupe d'investissement qatari inquiète l'association visant à lutter contre l'homophobie dans le Football amateur et professionnel français. Des conventions, des pétitions pour lutter contre l'homophobie… Le partenariat PSG-PFG symbolise à lui seul la volonté du football français de lutter contre l’homophobie.

Mais ces efforts pourraient être remis en question avec l'arrivée du Qatari Nasser al-Khelaifi à la présidence du conseil de surveillance du club en même temps que le groupe Qatar Sports Investment est entré à 70% dans le capital du club parisien.

Au Qatar, l'homosexualité est illégale (la peine pouvant aller jusqu'à sept ans de prison). Du coup, Pascal Brethes, président du Paris Football Gay, se demande si le nouveau propriétaire du club ne risque pas de stopper "l'excellent" partenariat qu'il détient avec le PSG.

"J'attends de rencontrer Robin Leproux [directeur du PSG] pour savoir si on doit craindre quelque chose. J’espère vraiment qu’il n’y aura pas de problème. Nous allons nous rencontrer cette semaine."

Coupe du monde 2022 : gay s'abstenir

Les appréhensions du Paris Football Gay sont motivées par un précédent. En décembre 2010, le président de la Fifa (Fédération internationale football association) Sepp Blatter, interrogé sur l'attribution de la coupe du monde au Qatar en 2022 et l'éventuel fossé culturel entre natifs et supporters occidentaux, avait lancé concernant la question gay une boutade biscornue : "Je dirais qu'ils [les supporters gays] doivent s'abstenir de toute activité sexuelle."

Le Paris Football avait déjà réagi à ces propos en expliquant que l'homosexualité "ne se résumait pas à l'acte sexuel". L'association posait alors cette question :

"Croyez-vous qu'il soit possible que des joueurs ou des arbitres puissent faire leur coming-out d'ici 2022 et venir jouer tranquillement dans un pays qui condamne l'homosexualité par de la prison ?"
Aujourd’hui la question s’étend à la France. Un investisseur qatari (en l'occurrence Nasser al-Khelaifi) acceptera-t-il de poursuivre un partenariat avec une association qui serait considérée comme illégale dans son pays ?

Nasser El-Khelaifi, un homme "européanisé"

Le nouvel homme fort du PSG, Nasser al-Khelaifi, patron de Qatar Sport Investment, est décrit par ses proches comme un homme "européanisé" et "humain". Dans un portrait de ce "proche de l’héritier du trône du Qatar", Le Parisien le présente comme un homme "aussi à son aise en costume-cravate qu’en thawb et ghutra (l’habit traditionnel au Qatar)." Pour l’instant, rien ne laisse penser que le patron de QSI pourrait arrêter son partenariat avec le Paris Football Gay.

Interrogé sur la place qu’il aurait dans le club, Nasser al-Khelaifi a été très clair.

"Je suis le président de Qatar Sport Investment. Nous sommes les nouveaux actionnaires, mais je ne suis pas le nouveau patron du club. On va garder le même management au PSG, et Robin sera le président. On va travailler de façon très proche."
La direction de la communication du PSG affirme qu'il n'y a aucune crainte à avoir. La date de la rencontre qui doit avoir lieu entre Robin Leproux et Pascal Brethes n'est pas encore fixée, même si le JDD affirmait dans son édition papier qu'elle aurait lieu dans les prochains jours. Contacté par les Inrocks, Robin Leproux, patron du Paris Saint-Germain, n'était pas disponible cette semaine pour s’exprimer.

Jean-Philippe Louis

15 July 2011 / Auf Deutsch / Tagung und Podiumsdiskussion zum Thema „Sexuelle Identität im Frauenfußball – gegen Homophobie“

Von L-Soccer:

Tagung und Podiumsdiskussion zum Thema „Sexuelle Identität im Frauenfußball –gegen Homophobie“ mit Christine Lüders, Leiterin der Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes am 15.07.2011 in Frankfurt am Main, 10-17 Uhr, Fachhochschule Frankfurt

Aus Anlass der 6. Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft der Frauen im Sommer 2011 veranstalten die Wirtschaftsweiber e.V. eine Fachtagung. Unter dem Motto „Sexuelle Identität im Frauenfußball - Vom Drama zum Sommermärchen“ fragen sich hochkarätige SportexpertInnen und ReferentInnen:
- Wie können wir gemeinsam Diskriminierungen lesbischer und schwuler Sportlerinnen, Managerinnen, Trainerinnen und speziell Lesben im Frauenfußball abbauen?
- Wie ist mit Ungleichbehandlungen im gesellschafts- und wirtschaftspolitischen Kontext umzugehen?
- Wie kann der Diversity Gedanke umgesetzt werden – im Hinblick auf Weltanschauung, ethnische Herkunft, Geschlecht und sexuelle Identität? Was gibt es an gesetzlichen Möglichkeiten?
- Wo sind im Leistungssport, besonders der Fußballsport, Grenzen beim Outing lesbischer Spielerinnen und schwuler Spieler?

Homophobie im Sport wird an diesem Tag ebenso diskutiert wie Probleme und Chancen im Frauenfußball von heute und morgen.

Tagungsort ist die Fachhochschule Frankfurt (FH). Die Leiterin der Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes, Frau Christine Lüders wird das Grußwort halten und an der Podiumsdiskussion teilnehmen. Sport – insbesondere der in Deutschland so beliebte Fußball – leistet einen großen Beitrag, Vorurteile und Feindlichkeiten in der Gesellschaft abzubauen oder gar nicht erst entstehen zu lassen.

Die Stadt Frankfurt als „Herz des Frauenfußballs“ steht dabei an der Spitze: Mit Fanmeile und Regenbogen Area, einzigartig in ganz Deutschland. Frankfurt richtet die WM-Endrunde sowie zwei Vorrundenpartien aus. Darunter ein Spiel mit der deutschen Mannschaft, und eines der beiden Halbfinalspiele: ein wahres Sommermärchen.

Informationen+Kontakt:
Zum FACHTAG 15.7.2011
L-Soccer Team Frankfurt

Tel.: 0176-29244195
Mercedes Rodriguez Garcia-Gutierrez
Vorstand

Tel.: 069-59771690
Susanne Lucie Bauer
Regionalgruppe Frankfurt

frankfurt@l-soccer.de