Sexist remarks and stone throwing during a women's football match in Nîmes: “I don't want to play my matches here anymore”

The women's team was playing for the first time on the synthetic Marcel-Rouvière stadium. Illustration Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

The incidents took place at the Marcel-Rouvière stadium in Nîmes during the match between the Nîmes U15 women's football team (NFF) and the Jeune Entente Toulousaine team (JET) on Saturday, January 25.

“I saw a man come down with blood on his face.”The coach of the Nîmes U15 women's team (NFF) is both upset and angry about the unacceptable acts that took place this Saturday, January 25, during the 12th day of the U15 F Elite championship at the Marcel-Rouvière stadium, in the Pissevin district.

Sexist remarks against the opposing team

That afternoon, while the Nîmes team hosted its Toulouse opponents, young people not present at the sports meeting began throwing stones at the stands, towards the end of the first half. “There were several stone throws. The parents, who had come to watch their daughters play, had to take shelter. One man was particularly injured”, says Sophie Betton, one of the mothers and daughter of Jean-Pierre Betton, a great defender who wore the Crocos' colours from 1964 to 1974. “If my father were still here, he would never have accepted it”, she adds.

The game continued despite everything. Although the throwing of projectiles stopped, they were replaced by sexist remarks against the players: “Go cook”, “What are you doing on the field ?!”. “Everyone is disappointed and sorry for the opposing team, who were even more targeted by these remarks…”, reports the mother, who also says she is worried about her daughter's safety. “This discrimination is constant in football when we play in disadvantaged neighborhoods”, she regrets.

“For the upcoming matches, I no longer want to play on the Nîmes pitches”

For the Nîmes coach, this episode is the last straw. “What I regret is the insecurity in the stadiums in Nîmes. On Mondays and Wednesdays, we train in the Costières annex stadium. There are garbage bags lying around, gates that no longer close, it's dilapidated. When we host top-level teams, I'm ashamed to welcome them in these conditions”, he explains. When he learns that his players will be able to play Saturday's match on the synthetic pitch at Marcel-Rouvière, it's initially good news… until the youngsters intervene. For him, the only solution today is to train his team outside the city. “I told my club president, for the upcoming matches, I no longer want to play on the Nîmes pitches”, he emphasizes.

An incident that did not, however, tarnish the joy of the Nîmes U15 women's team, who won the match 3-0. They only have one match left, Saturday February 8, against US Plaisance du Touch, to finish as champions of the first phase of Elite. Let's hope it will be in better conditions…

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