Former footballer Patrice Evra reveals he was sexually abused as a teenager
Former footballer Patrice Evra, here on September 15, 2015 at the Etihad Stadium ahead of a Champions League match between his then team Juventus and Manchester City.
AP - Jon Super
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
3 min
In his autobiography to be published on October 28, Patrice Evra explains having suffered sexual abuse at the age of 13, perpetrated by the principal of the colleague he was dating.
The 40-year-old former French international has kept this story quiet for years.
He is now speaking out so that children who are victims of sexual abuse “
do not feel guilty
”.
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His autobiography,
I Love This Game,
will be available on October 28. But before its publication, Patrice Evra spoke, Friday, October 22, in the columns of The
Times
. In the British daily, the footballer retired for two years has entrusted an important chapter of his life, also told in his book: he was the victim of sexual abuse at the age of 13. “
I was ashamed to admit that I was sexually abused - but I don't want other children to feel that way,
” he says.
Patrice Evra reveals that he was attacked by the principal of his college, who accommodated him several nights a week to avoid him too many trips between his home and the establishment.
The details he delivers in his autobiography
are chilling
.
The former defender, including Monaco, Manchester United, Juventus and Olympique de Marseille, explains that he only recently revealed these facts to his mother.
“
Of course, she was very shocked.
It was a tough time for me and I still haven't told some of my siblings and close friends
, ”he told The Times.
“
I only told him now when I'm 40 years old.
It was a big shock to her, with a lot of anger.
"You must not put it in your book, it's private, Patrice," she told me.
But I told her that it was not about me but about the other children and she replied that it was OK, that she understood
”, develops the one who wore the jersey of the France team 81 times.
"
I buried it so deep inside me that I didn't think of filing a complaint
"
The native of Dakar lets go that at the age of 24, while piercing at AS Monaco, he was contacted by the police about his alleged attacker.
But he had been unable to say what had happened to him ten years earlier.
“
Living with that is one of my biggest regrets, because I could have helped so many people,
” he laments.
Patrice Evra has never lodged a complaint against his former teacher: "
The first thing my mother told me was: 'If you don't do it, I will. If he is still alive, I will kill him. "
But I buried it so deep inside me that I didn't think of filing a complaint.
"
By making this case public, the ex-defender wants to send a message to child victims of sexual abuse.
“
I want kids to have the courage [to speak out] and not feel guilty, because I've always felt guilty.
"
► To read also: Harassment and sexual abuse: Venezuelan footballers break the silence
(With AFP)
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