Eric Olhats, former mentor of Antoine Griezmann and ex-recruiter of Real Sociedad, was sentenced Tuesday evening to six years in prison for "sexual assault on minors" and "corruption of minors" involving young footballers by the Bayonne criminal court.

The 62-year-old man was the subject of complaints from six men, former young footballers registered with Aviron Bayonnais and all aged under 15 at the time, for acts committed between 1997 and 2002, then in 2021 and 2022. Griezmann is not among them: he told investigators that he had not experienced or witnessed any such acts.

Throughout the hearing, which lasted more than 13 hours, Éric Olhats categorically denied all the charges. "They did not tell the truth as it happened," he declared after hearing the facts presented by the court and the testimonies of some of the plaintiffs.

For prosecutor Caroline Parizel, Éric Olhats "gradually built a hold", becoming "omnipresent" in the lives of these teenagers.

The six-year prison sentence, with continued detention, was accompanied by five years of judicial supervision, as well as a mandatory treatment order, a ban on frequenting sports venues, and a prohibition on engaging in any activity involving contact with minors. He will have to pay €30,000 in damages to the civil parties.

Eric Olhats' lawyer, Alain Larrea, had pleaded for acquittal on all charges, with the exception of possession of child pornography, asking the court "not to sanctify the word of the plaintiffs", in the face of "the absence of material evidence or witnesses".

The victims reported unwanted touching, forced masturbation, and inappropriate text messages, while Éric Olhats was their coach, on the sidelines of matches or sports training camps.

The eight lawyers for the civil parties denounced the defendant's "fierce denial," faced with plaintiffs full of "guilt" for not having spoken out earlier to avoid further victims, when Éric Olhats "refuses to apologize."

- "Kingmaker" -

Arriving at Aviron Bayonnais in 1992 as a coach, Éric Olhats was subsequently promoted to technical manager, in charge of overseeing young people aged 6 to 18, before becoming a recruiter for Real Sociedad in the Spanish Basque Country in 2003.

Described as particularly "strict" by the players and staff of the club, even "feared," Éric Olhats was also "a gateway to the world of professional football," noted the presiding judge. A "kingmaker," as he himself stated in court.

He is described as "tactile," but he responds that he is "warm, within the bounds of what is proper and appropriate." When questioned about the "intimate relationships" he seemed to have with some young people, Éric Olhats retorts that it is "a matter of interpretation." He admits to having "close, but healthy" relationships with some.

During their court testimonies, the former footballers said they were "astonished by so much evidence being denied," while others urged their former coach to have the "courage to confess" and to speak "honestly." "They said what they had to say," responded Éric Olhats, with a shrug.

The former coach had already been sentenced in 1991 to a year in prison with a suspended sentence, with mandatory treatment for indecent assault on a minor committed in Soulac-sur-Mer (Gironde).

Known for having discovered Antoine Griezmann in 2005, he was the sports advisor of the French international (104 caps) until 2017.