"If they talk about pedophilia, clubs are afraid of losing licensees"

• In December, journalists from the We Report collective revealed for Disclose "serious dysfunctions" in 77 cases of pedophilia in the world of sport in France.
• In the midst of sexual violence in skating, Mathieu Martinière and Daphné Gastaldi, who published the survey The other side of the coin , draw for 20 Minutes the parallel between omerta in the world of the Church and that of sport .
• "The word is free," says Daphne Gastaldi, less than two months after the publication of the survey in Disclose.

Two years after investigating pedophilia in the Church, Lyon journalists Mathieu Martinière and Daphné Gastaldi continued their work in the world of sport in 2019. "We were a little overwhelmed by what we found in just eight months," says Daphne Gastaldi. On the Church, the coverage of 34 priests by 27 bishops was revealed. There we are in 77 cases in sport. "

The tandem, which published in December The other side of the coin for Disclose, confided in 20 Minutes on the points in common between Church and sport on the subject of sexual assault. In the midst of Sarah Abitbol, ​​Mathieu Martinière and Daphné Gastaldi explain how they have so often been able to point out five types of dysfunction, and notably the retention or recurrence of a coach.

Find @Disclose_ngo's survey "The other side of the coin" on pedophilia in sport
https://t.co/TDGtdFNrsR

What impressed you the most when you investigated in sport, compared to your previous research on the Church?

Mathieu Martinière: What really challenged me was the establishment of a sometimes visceral defense for an aggressor, even when he was convicted. In one of the revealed cases, a judo coach was confused by his DNA, with therefore a negligible risk of miscarriage of justice, and he did not appeal. Despite this, three judo leaders support him. We feel discomfort. Some people argued that our questions weren't even legitimate. We were told: "Respect man, he brings us results, why do you come to search 15 years later? Because he is precisely still in post.

Daphne Gastaldi: The way in which a club defends its image and its functioning has marked me. Clubs are making it clear that when talking about pedophilia cases, they are afraid of losing licensees, but also of subsidies linked to good results obtained with a trainer involved. The latter sometimes becomes a close friend of the family and she finds it hard to believe him guilty when the word is released. And often, the coaches involved in these matters have a special aura.

Can this aura be compared to the figure of priests also linked to sexual assault?

DG: Yes, this system of father's aura and sacredness, we also have it a little with the coach who makes himself indispensable in a club, which makes him shine. The aura is even the most important common point if we compare the world of the Church and that of sport.

MM: In villages, a charismatic coach can even be the mayor. On the phenomenon of grip, there can also be a parallel between the priest and the coach. The coach can become a second father, and even if one is not here in faith, the child and his family can idolize the coach.

What area most favors the suffocation of business and the visceral defense of aggressors?

MM: In the Church, the omerta was really systemic. A bit as we see in the film Spotlight , a priest commits acts of pedophilia and to stifle the scandal, we will send him to another monastery or another department. In sport, it's a little less "system".

DG: Let's say it's less pyramid-shaped, it's not organized at this point. It often stays at the club level, or if it goes back to the League, it doesn't know how to act. It is complicated to compare these two worlds, also because in sport, the majority of actors are volunteers so not filtered. We do not necessarily know their criminal record as it could be for controlled employees. A coach can move from one region to another, from one federation to another, taking advantage of the information chain that derails in sport. People already known to justice therefore return to the sporting world when it is prohibited by the sport code. You should know that a president of a small club, who is happy to have volunteer coaches, will be less attentive to them and he especially does not know the rules well. But there are also state technical managers who are supposed to be trained and who have not reported inappropriate behavior.

MM: In sport, we are between ignorance and the desire to hide. There is a problem with the dissemination of information and there are many responsible. It is not like the Church, but it is an amateur environment which lets things pass.

Maracineanu welcomes the investigation into the cases of pedophilia and evokes Clamart https://t.co/LLD97jhy96

Are sports significantly more affected than others by cases of pedophilia?

MM: We have identified around thirty sports affected in all cases. We note that football and horse riding are the sports with the most business, but that is explained by the massive number of licensees in these two disciplines in France.

DG: Similarly, some sports may be missing from our survey because the omerta is stronger there.

Is it harder to dare to bear witness to the world of the Church or to that of sport?

MM: In both cases, we are dealing with powerful institutions, for different reasons, and the victims are afraid to speak. Regarding the Church, it is linked to faith and we do not want to be against a priest, a bishop and an entire community. In sport, you can have ambitions and places are expensive.

DG: We can dream of the Olympics, the coach is idolized because he has won many competitions. It's also a faith somewhere, we talk about the religion of sport. When Arnaud Mercier, an artistic rollerblading trainer, was sentenced a few months ago, the lawyer for one of the victims said of him: "He was the pope of artistic rollerblading". This sentence says it all, it shows all the aura and the psychological hold he could have. He had a sacred and untouchable side.

MM: We saw with Adèle Haenel and the cinema how hard it is to reveal sexual violence in all areas. For the victims to come out of the woods, we need big media coverage like #MeToo.

77 cases, 28 sports, nearly 300 victims. Not to mention the recent testimony of Sarah #Abitbol. But what do the federations do? Discover the impact of our survey on sexual violence in sport on @Disclose_ngo, with @Mat_Marty https://t.co/CbIKdm5ZFF pic.twitter.com/tAZmO0TPJv

What consequences did you notice, a month after your revelations?

MM: The table tennis federation reacted immediately with a clear measure: the license suspension of anyone who has been convicted of an assault on a minor. The archery federation is also moving in this direction and is working on an action plan. It is to be hoped that many more federations will bring civil actions in the future and will really take up the cause for the victims, which is still very rare. The impact is considerable, and these cases released can be a trigger for many victims. They can give them courage.

DG: The biggest consequence is the creation of a cell at the Ministry of Sports. Three people are said to be on a full-time mission to investigate the 77 cases brought out by Disclose and to launch administrative investigations. In cases, disciplinary commissions are examining files that have been revealed and there will be sanctions. For example, a judo coach has had a distinction withdrawn. Speech becomes free.

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Pedophilia: Investigation in the sports world evokes "serious dysfunctions" in 77 cases since 1970

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Sexual violence in skating: The prosecution opens a preliminary investigation for "rape of minors"

• Lyon
• Society
• Sarah Abitbol case
• Sexual violence
• Sport
• Church
• pedophilia