French football talent scout jailed for sex crimes against minors

Eric Olhats, the former mentor of French football star Antoine Griezmann, has been sentenced to six years in prison for sexually assaulting minors.

A court in the southern French city of Bayonne delivered the verdict on November 4, also imposing five years of judicial supervision and a mandatory treatment order, according to foreign media reports.

In addition, Olhats was ordered to pay €30,000 (approximately $34,482) in damages to the victims and is banned from entering sports venues or engaging in any activities involving minors.

The 62-year-old, who previously worked as a scout for Spanish club Real Sociedad, was accused by six men of sexual abuse that occurred between 1997 and 2002, and again in 2021 and 2022. All the plaintiffs were under the age of 15 at the time and were footballers at Aviron Bayonnais FC, where Olhats was a coach.

Griezmann, who trained under Olhats in his youth, was not among the plaintiffs. The French star told investigators that he neither experienced nor witnessed any inappropriate behaviour by his former mentor.

Prosecutor Caroline Parizel had sought an eight-year sentence, arguing that Olhats had “gradually established a hold” over the boys, becoming “omnipresent in their lives.” The victims described incidents that included touching of their legs or backs during car rides, forced masturbation, and the sending of inappropriate text messages during his time as their manager.

Throughout the trial, Olhats denied the charges, telling the court that “they have not told the truth as it happened,” in response to the testimonies presented against him.

Lawyers representing the victims criticised Olhats for his “stubborn denial” and refusal to apologise.

Olhats is widely known for discovering and mentoring Antoine Griezmann, later serving as his sports adviser until 2017. This is not the first time Olhats has faced such accusations: in 1991, he received a one-year suspended prison sentence for indecent assault on a minor committed in western France.

By Tamilla Hasanova