France Bleu Alsace has collected the testimony of a former player of Olympique Lyonnais who has initiated legal action for several months against her former club to whom she claims more than two million euros for "repair of the all of its prejudices ”. In 2017, then 15 years old, the Strasbourg native joined the prestigious OL Academy, training center of the most prestigious women's club in Europe. But her dream of one day joining the first team was shattered, shattered according to her, by the actions of her coach and the unjustified choices that followed by OL concerning her.
"He wrote to me 'I feel good when you're here.' When a coach says that, you don't have to be 20 to understand what it is. I cut it short. ”
The integration of Myriam (an assumed name to preserve anonymity) under her new colors went well the first months but the relationship she had with the coach in charge of U16s (under 16) , Yohan D., has gradually deteriorated. In question, the displaced attitude of the latter towards the young hope and one of his comrades. "I quickly understood that it was not a coach like the others when I saw the messages he sent me", explained the former player of Friborg and Sand who continues "He wrote to me 'I feel good when you are there'. When a coach says that, you don't have to be 20 to understand what it is. I cut it short. ”
The coach reportedly continued his advances, including asking the teenager to show photos of her friend, in exchange for which she would be promoted to team captain. Fearing reprisals, the two Lyonnaises targeted by the manager of the team did not wish to disclose his behavior at first. But a serious slippage that occurred during a tournament in May 2018 turned the matter into a scandal within the club.
"He would come to our room every evening or send a message so that we both come to his room"
According to Miriam, the man would have slipped under his friend's duvet to circulate his hand. "He would come to our room every evening or send a message so that we both come to his room," says the former resident of the training center. These actions were then denounced by a player from the under-19 team. Summoned by the director of the training center, Sonia Bompastor, Myriam confirmed the facts. These led to the departure of Yohan D who submitted his resignation.
While she thought that this sordid affair was closed, Myriam had the bad surprise to learn in June 2018 that the club would no longer support all of her training. The family had got used to the idea of paying part of the registration to the academy but OL changed their minds by finally making it known that they did not want to keep the player. A turnaround all the more unexpected as the Gones had committed, verbally but not contractually, to take care of Myriam for three seasons. Problem: no training agreement had been signed. An administrative vacuum denounced by Médiapart in 2019. Joined by France Bleu Alsace , the OL lawyer said that the footballer had been removed from the club "for sporting reasons only".
The parents challenged the end of training in court in the summer of 2019 and demanded his reinstatement, but the courts ruled in favor of the Lyon club. In September, the former U16 coach, for his part, was indicted for "sexual assault without violence on a minor of 15 years, by person in authority" after the accusations of another player. Three months later, in December, Myriam's family decided to initiate civil proceedings claiming more than two million euros from Olympique Lyonnais in reparations. Due to the health crisis, the hearing, which was to be held last spring, has been postponed until the end of the year or early 2021.
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