At the Caen Toofball club, lesbians and trans want to tackle homophobia in football
By Nicholas Claich
Published on
Every week, or almost, they look for a place to train, Caen (Calvados). At Vaux-de-la-Folie, at the Robert-Quillard stadium or elsewhere. But as winter approaches, things get more complicated. “We cannot play if the pitches are not lit”, describes Charlotte, one of the players of the Caen Toofball Club. The members of this club like no other have therefore decided to take the plunge and form an association in order to be able to make an official request for a slot with the city. “The statutes are in progress”, indicates the one who is one of the four co-presidents of the entity.
queer and feminist
The initiators of this group met in front of a TV broadcasting the matches of the Women’s Football World Cup, which were taking place in France. It was in 2019. “It was at the Aqueerium, an LGBT bar, recalls Charlotte. We wanted to get together to play football together. The following year, we started”. The Toofball club now has 71 members, who share a passion for football, and a rejection of the traditional federal environment.
Many have played club football before but were disgusted by the Fed. Some even mentioned Clairefontaine, but the FFF does not like political activists too much.
The Toofball club of Caen claims to be “queer and feminist”, and fights against all forms of discrimination: homophobia, racism, transphobia… The team regularly participates in tournaments across France, such as the “Bernard Tapine” trophy, the football cup inclusive, or meetings with other inclusive teams such as the pioneers of degumming machines. Luciole, a 26-year-old transgender woman, has finally found her position in the field with the group.
There is no place for me in the federal system. On my identity card, there is always an M (for masculine). Here there is room for everyone.
The World Cup in Qatar is debated
Inevitably, the organization of the World Cup in Qatar provokes debate within the club. While some have chosen to boycott the event, to denounce the fate reserved for LGBTQI+ people and immigrant workers in the emirate, others, like Luciole, assume to watch the matches on TV. “It helps to remember what is happening in this country,” she says. The image of Qatar is not good now, and the problem comes mainly from the attribution of the tournament to this country, and from the corruption within FIFA”. The young woman gives another argument against the boycott, more personal this one.
It would be too great a deprivation for me. In 2014 and 2018, I did not watch although I am passionate. But I found that I was forcing myself to believe that I didn’t like it! It’s not always easy to say that you like feet when you’re LGBTQI+. The foot represents a form of oppression.
“Hugo Lloris disappointed me”
The silence of the Blues on the question of human rights inevitably irritates the ears of the Toofclub players. The exit of Hugo Lloris, the captain of the France team, to justify his choice of not wearing the “One Love” armband during the competition, hit Luciole. “By saying that he respects the values of Qatar, he implies that he accepts the fact that LGBT people are imprisoned, even killed! I liked this genre a lot before, but it disappointed me greatly”.
As an assumed feminist, Charlotte believes that women are more courageous than men to defend their ideas. But she regrets that no French player has the guts of Megan Rapinoe, the American Women’s Ballon d’Or in 2019 who assumes her homosexuality. “She said that to win, you needed lesbians on the team,” laughs the co-president of Toof. In France, they are pushed aside, and foreigners only stay for a year because they don’t feel comfortable”. In Caen, the Toofball club jersey goes to everyone.
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