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French football is entering a new chapter. Amel Majri, the only player from the France team to have become a mother during her career, went to the Bleues gathering in Clairefontaine on Monday accompanied by her daughter. Coincidentally, this new era coincides with the launch of a new outfit designed for menstruation.
This is a first in the history of the selection. Becoming a mother in July 2022, Amel Majri found Monday April 3 the castle of Clairefontaine, training center of the French football team, and will be accompanied during the internship of her nine-month-old daughter.
Hervé Renard, the new coach of Les Bleues, welcomed the possibility offered to his player to bring his baby, calling for the training center to be adapted to young mothers. “It is essential to give structure to players who have young children,” he said at a press conference. “France is a little behind, so we have to take this step.” Childminder, play area for children … The coach wants rapid progress in supporting players who have become mothers, as is already the case within the American selection.
This position has been warmly welcomed on social networks. “Thank you Hervé Renard for these words, this step back, this desire to move forward”, congratulated the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, on her Twitter account.
Definitely, this man is not a chance, but a BIG chance for women’s sport in our country.
Merci @Herve_Renard_HR for these words, this retreat, this desire to move forward.
Together, our actions will bear fruit. For women, moms and sports ????☀️ https://t.co/0xzqh38eUo— Amelie Oudea-Castera (@AOC1978) April 3, 2023
For her part, French judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou, who made her return to competition last month after her maternity leave, said: “You have no idea of the importance of the stone to the building that you have just bring in this fight which is dear to me!”
Cher @Herve_Renard_HR I wanted to express my warm thanks for your speech on high-level athlete moms.????????????????????????
You have no idea of the importance of the stone to the building that you have just brought in this fight which is dear to me!✊????????????????????
– AGBEGNÉNOU Clarisse (@Gnougnou25) April 3, 2023
Sébé Coulibaly, striker of the Nîmes Métropole Gard club, hopes that the case of Amel Majri will serve as an example. “In France, soccer moms like Amel Majri are exceptions, but she shows that it is possible”, testifies the one who is very committed to the development of the practice with young girls with her mobile application Ladies Squad. “Certainly, it’s a luxury that she can afford because she has a contract, but the other clubs must do the same and apply a more suitable follow-up for young mothers.”
For the 29-year-old player, these changes “allow younger generations to hope and dream of becoming professional players. They will no longer have the same fears as us.”
A small menstrual revolution
At the same time, the Federation and its equipment supplier Nike revealed the new jerseys and shorts for the World Cup-2023. Players will now be outfitted with blue shorts instead of white to avoid discomfort with menstruation. The shorts are equipped with an ultra-thin, absorbent liner, built into the shorts, which helps protect against possible period leakage, according to the brand’s website.
New ????????????????????????????????, new ????̀???????? ????????????
???? ???????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? #FiersdetreBleues pic.twitter.com/nngy9n00XF— French Women’s Team (@equipedefranceF) April 3, 2023
At the end of October, the Manchester City women’s football team also announced that their shorts would no longer be white from next year.
The fear of seeing the rules exposed to everyone’s eyes, which harms physical and mental performance, had already entered the world of tennis during the Wimbledon tournament. So much so that the London tournament ended up relaxing its dress code by allowing players to wear dark-colored shorties from the 2023 edition.
>> To read also: Women’s sport: lifting the taboo of rules to put an end to white outfits
In judo, Clarisse Agbegnenou was also committed against the taboo of the rules, going so far as to join the French brand of Réjeanne menstrual panties. “I who did judo in a white kimono, it’s complicated,” she explained to FranceInfo. “Many times between training I had to go to the bathroom to change everything (…) all women need it and in sport you have a lot of difficulties.”
Les Bleues will wear their new kits for the first time at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, from July 20 to August 20.