The theme of mental health arose this week near Clairefontaine, around ten days after the suicide attempt of Niçois Alexis Beka Beka, right in the middle of the Magnan viaduct about 10 kilometers from the Aiglons headquarters, while he was heading to training. Tuesday, Thierry Henry had already been questioned on the subject and had mentioned a “really important” subject.
“When we saw these images on the bridge, we all looked at our own problems. It made me think about my problems. I have them like everyone else, we hide them, we mask them. We try to do things to not think about it. From time to time, there are people who reach the end, declared the Bleuts coach. It didn’t happen, but it’s a shame that we came to this to realize. Now, there must be openings, doors, understanding so that people can express themselves without being afraid or ashamed. »
On Wednesday, Ibrahima Konaté and Kingsley Coman were raised on the subject during the last press briefing of the week in Clairefontaine before the trip, on Friday, to the Netherlands for the final qualifying match for Euro 2024 “I really liked this moment when Mr. Thierry Henry spoke about the mental health of the players because it is a very important subject, we do not emphasize it enough,” declared the Liverpool central defender in the preamble. For him, the media have a part of responsibility: “You, the journalists, have a job which is to ask questions, to criticize the players, and that also affects the mental health of the players. These are aspects that are very difficult for some players to swallow at the end of matches, they watch the criticism and they are insulted. »
French athletes come out of the woodwork on the subject of mental health
The native of Paris considers himself lucky to be well surrounded and protected from this by his close entourage and his family, he does not forget that this is not the case for everyone in this environment. . “I think it’s easier to express yourself today, but there are players who have few friends, no family or who are shy, you have to ask yourself the question of how they manage to speak , he pointed. We all have to ask ourselves the question on a daily basis when a player is not doing well, try to reach out to him, and by talking with him and being sincere, I think he can open up.”
Little known for his lyrical flights of fancy and his long tirades, Kingsley Coman for his part praised the effort of the clubs which, after years of looking away from the psychological problems of their players, finally seem to be moving on the subject. “It’s very important, we are in a profession where there is a lot of stress, we have to protect ourselves from it and be able to talk about it, it’s something that helps. Each player has his own techniques, but it’s good that the clubs put things in place so that we are supervised,” he explained.
The free speech of high-level athletes in recent years, like stars Simone Biles, Michael Phelps and Naomi Osaka, has finally made it possible to break the taboo on the mental health of athletes. In France too, recently, some agreed to tell their story in the Prime Video documentary “Strong, as strong as fragile” in order to show that the subject must no longer be swept under the rug. And Thierry Henry concludes: “I don’t have all the answers, but it’s true that we live in a world where it’s much easier to express yourself because it’s a little more accepted. Now, is there empathy, is there compassion? Not always, and it can help make someone much more vulnerable. »