« To win is to know how to say stop. » The message is loud and clear, it is high time for violence in all its forms to stop. In front of the camera, twelve French internationals - six women and six men - including Nikola Karabatic, Laura Flippes, Valentin Porte, and Cléopâtre Darleux, pretend with a resolute air. They represent the Elite and, more broadly, the handball family. This Monday, the latter met at the House of Handball to announce its new communication campaign, while the worlds of football and gymnastics are at this very moment singled out.
In the face of violence, let's play collectively! 🤝
Winning is knowing how to say STOP ✋
All the information about the program:
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— FFHandball (@ffhandball) May 15, 2023
The French Federation, the two professional leagues (NHL and LFH), the social partners (players, professional clubs, coaches), all affirm with one voice their desire to reduce to nothing the various forms of violence recorded for several years: incivility, racism, harassment (physical, moral, digital), sexual, homophobic and transphobic violence. Tolerance: zero.
"We note the post-Covid widening of violence, extremely strong to fight, presents Philippe Bana, the president of the FFHB. Sport and handball have unfortunately not been spared. Through this campaign, the federation wants to recall that this strong commitment to violence of all kinds represents for it the same value as an Olympic medal. Since 2019, some thirty disciplinary sanctions have been noted at the federal level. About forty cases are related to sexual violence.
Deputy Vice-President of the federation, Béatrice Barbusse continues: "Regarding homophobic violence, we have been working for more than a year with LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) associations. We have also seen an increasing amount of cyberbullying, which has also affected members of France teams. Everyone must understand that behind this hatred, there is suffering for the victims. Their lives are destroyed. »
"We have all gone through violence in our journey"
Estelle Nze Minko, the captain of the team of France 4th of the last Euro, is one of the two French who plays in the club of Győr, one of the four semi-finalists of the Champions League. She speaks on behalf of the other Tricolores: "We have all gone through violence in our journey. All the themes mentioned touch me, directly or indirectly. In Hungary, for example, there is a lot of racism. Vincent Gérard, the goalkeeper of Les Bleus, was declared mainly responsible on the web for the defeat in the final of the last World Cup: "I have always played with different people, asserts the one who is also president of the players' union. When we have rules of common life, we must respect living together. »
Concretely, the campaign is accompanied by actions on the ground. A secure reporting platform (www.signal.ffhandball.fr) was launched last weekend. A dozen people are listening in complete confidentiality and protection. Visuals and posters are also available to all handball players.
As part of the World Day Against Homophobia, this Wednesday, the wearing of "rainbow" armbands by the referees of the four professional divisions of French men's and women's handball (Liqui Moly Starligue, Proligue, Butagaz Energie League, D2F) will be set up between 17 and 21 May. Three LGBT associations will also be highlighted at the kick-off of PSG-Chartres (Sunday, 17 pm).
"They say that sport is a reflection of our increasingly violent society," said David Tebib, Bruno Martini's successor at the NHL. We are fortunate to be a school sport. The idea is that this campaign will last. For me, for example, hazing should no longer exist, there are other methods of integration. Combating violence is no longer a duty, it is a responsibility that we all have. »