Pascal Brethes, co-founder and president of Paris Foot Gay, speaks on the phone during a match in October 2009. His club has been at the center of a media storm that started when a Muslim team, Creteil Bebel, refused to play Paris Foot Gay. (Mildrade Cherfils/GlobalPost)

When a Muslim soccer team won't play a gay one

The refusal by Creteil Bebel to play Paris Foot Gay leads to public outcry in France.

By Mildrade Cherfils - GlobalPost
Published: October 20, 2009 20:09 ET

PARIS, France — On this point both sides agreed: No one expected so much ink to spill in the days after Creteil Bebel, a soccer team made up of mainly Muslim players, refused to play a match against Paris Foot Gay, a club that welcomes homosexual and heterosexual players. 

But after the dispute played out in the press for more than a week, a resolution finally came in the form of a one-line note last week from the sports league governing the amateur teams. Creteil Bebel was ejected from the league, the brief message said, for "refusing the match on discriminatory grounds."

Alan Daligault, a Paris Foot Gay captain, who also holds administrative duties that include checking the team’s messages, was the first to see the email from Creteil Bebel refusing to play.

"I was shocked," the 25-year-old said, at how polite it was. "What shocked most was the tone; it left the impression that it was something quite normal, that our response should have been 'OK, have a nice Sunday; see you later.' "

The widely circulated email said: "Sorry, but in light of the name of your team and in keeping with the principles of our team, which is a team of practicing Muslims, we cannot play against you; our convictions are stronger than a simple game of soccer. Sorry to have informed you so late."

The backlash brought some prickly and sensitive issues to the fore, namely religion and its place in a secular France as well as homophobia in sports and society at large. The media coverage also stirred debate about the merits of fighting for a cause, such as gay rights, versus not making an issue of one's convictions in a country where emphasizing differences is frowned upon. The story also took an ugly turn that both sides said was unfortunate — a slant that seemed to pit Islam against the gay community.

At an Oct. 13 hearing to determine what sanctions the offending team should face, Bencheikh Farid, a Creteil Bebel captain, his voice cracking at times, read from a handwritten statement. The team’s lawyer was present but not allowed to address the 50 or so players and league officials.

After spouting off a few lines in legalese about the team’s rights to defend itself, Farid, 34, conveyed his apologies to the opposing team and expressed that his club would still like to play the match. He said the team’s president, Zahir Belgharbi, made the "mistake" of sending the "awkwardly worded" email to Paris Foot Gay on the eve of the Oct. 4 match. However, given the league's strict rules on discrimination and Belgharbi's absence from the hearing, the committee must have decided it was too little too late. The next day it announced it had ejected Creteil Bebel.

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Posted by ramboze1 on October 21, 2009 13:53 ET

Why is it that only gays have choice? It seems that everyone must agree with gays or there out. What about freedom? Freedom to associate with who you choose, freedom to not want to be around gays if I choose, freedom to say what I believe and not what the political correct crowd says I must say, do, and beleive. If I use the word queer, oh boy, all hell breaks out, but if a queer uses the word queer that's OK. It's kinda like blacks using the "N" word on each other, that fine, just don't be white and use it. All I see is an attempt by a few to try and rule the masses. Tell ya what, you hang with who you want and I'll hang with who I want, and if that does not include gays so be it, we are still free here in the U.S., at least for now.

Posted by Mildrade Cherfils on October 22, 2009 15:17 ET

The flip side of your argument seems to imply that gays are some kind of fringe group, part of “a few” who are trying to “rule the masses.” I don’t agree this is the case. Since you mention freedom, civil rights are freedoms that people have fought for and are meant to benefit all of us, not solely one group at the expense of another.

Of course, people are free to associate with whomever they choose; the same freedoms apply in France. But when a team decides to join an organized sports league, certain rules do apply, including rules against discrimination. A different outcome might have cleared the way for teams to refuse to play one another on the basis of other criteria, like race or religion, etc; the sports minister said as much when she was asked to comment. One of the reasons that Paris Foot Gay exists is to call attention to the fact that gays often don’t have a choice when it comes to playing professional sports. Declaring one’s homosexuality can cost a player his career.

Creteil Bebel’s players can and probably will continue to play soccer; they are free to join another league or play informally among friends.

Posted by mattmay0 on October 22, 2009 22:02 ET

Mildrade, I am pleased to see that this story is making news. Also, I am very impressed by your educated response to the first comment on this page-- you made excellent, indisputable points! I really look forward to reading more of your articles.

Posted by papaslurp on October 22, 2009 23:12 ET

By your creative yet weak logic, I should have the "freedom" to run around Peoria shooting people in the face with my shotgun. I should also have the freedom to chill out in school playgrounds during the day, drunk and pantsless. Wait, what's that? I shouldn't? But I thought we are still free here in the U.S., bro! Oh, I am supposed to follow the rules/laws of the organization of which I am a part? Shocking!

Also, you appear fatuously ignorant of the meaning of freedom. Of course you have the freedom to use the word queer! As long as you're following the law, you have every right to expose yourself in public as a slack-jawed, ignorant, backwards hick in whatever way you want. At the same time, everyone else has the freedom to ridicule you as a slack-jawed, ignorant, backwards hick. God bless America for that.

Tell ya what, no one is telling you to "hang" with gays, nor would they nor most of us be interested in doing so. The thing is... tThis article has nothing to do with that. This article is about a member of an organization violating the rules and bylaws of that organization, suffering the consequences of doing so, and being called out for their gall and brainlessness. If you side with the rule breakers, clearly you don't respect laws. In which case, I would suggest you get out of the US, which is a country of laws, and go head to Columbia or something where your mindset might be a bit more prevalent. Or better yet, Iran... Ahmadinejad is as uncomfortable with gays as you are, so I'm sure you guys would have a lot else in common.

Posted by blobber on October 22, 2009 23:05 ET

As the bible states: In the beginning God created Adam and Eve... NOT Adam and Steve or Eva and Eve!

Posted by mattmay0 on October 23, 2009 18:44 ET

You're an idiot.

Posted by marcparis on November 16, 2009 05:17 ET

But he did create Lilith, so I guess girl-on-girl action is cool. And just who did those sons of Adam and Eve procreate with? God loves incest, too, I guess.

Posted by Roulette88 on October 23, 2009 08:48 ET

Here is the deal, this is a football league, you must play by the league's rules. If there is an anti-discriminatory clause in the league's rules and you break it then you should be ejected from the league. This is not a matter of Gays "getting their way" it is an apt punishment for a breech in rules. The Muslims would have been just as offended if a devout christian team refused to play them and the exact same action would have taken course.

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