Antoine Griezmann’s ex-adviser and recruiter indicted for sexual abuse of minors

He is known to have detected Antoine Griezmann. Eric Olhats, former adviser and recruiter for the world champion, was indicted on Thursday evening May 12 for “sexual abuse of minors” and “possession of pornographic images of minors”, announced the Bayonne prosecutor’s office in a press release. He was remanded in custody.

According to the prosecution, the facts date back to 1998 and 1999, when Eric Olhats was a youth coach in the football section of the Bayonnais Rowing Sports Club. The victims would be “three of the former students”then under the age of 15.

At the end of his police custody, which began on Wednesday, Eric Olhats, 59, was “indicted on the count of sexual assault on minors under the age of 15 by a person who abused the authority conferred on him by his position and also on the count of possession of pornographic images of minors”, detailed the deputy public prosecutor Marc Bride in his press release. He incurs “a sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment”, according to the floor. The former recruiter was remanded in custody.

A survey started in 2019

The investigation had started in 2019, after the receipt by the Bayonne public prosecutor’s office of an anonymous letter which reported “inappropriate gestures towards young players”. It has since been carried out by the judicial police. Three alleged victims filed a complaint.

Eric Olhats had detected Antoine Griezmann, when he was a recruiter at Real Sociedad, the Basque club of San Sebastian (Spain), and that the young 14-year-old player had been rejected by the training centers of French clubs due to of a size deemed too small. He then served as the French international’s sporting adviser until 2016.

In November 2020, Griezmann (104 selections), who is currently playing at Atlético Madrid, assured however that he ” not [lui] hadn’t spoken for three years”.

The World with AFP

source site-20