FATIMA
WHAT’S IT TO YA?
Photos: Lucy Cully
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Fatima, or Fati, I was born in Algeria. I immigrated to France at 7 years old. I played in Algeria, it was really mixed between boys and girls. When I came to Paris, I started playing in a club. My first time playing in a club with only girls. I played in the banlieue (suburban neighbourhoods). At 13-14 years old, I played with boys, and then I started playing with girls. I enjoyed it. I played with the club up until I was 22 years old. I stopped because of school, and it wasn't my priority. I wanted something more, because with clubs you come and play, that's it. I stopped playing 3-4 years ago.
How did your mother influence you with football?
The classic story is that your mother didn’t want you to play football, but your father did. My mother watches more football than me, and she pushed me to play for fun. I always knew I never wanted to be a pro. It was not my story. I know my story was with football, but with the creative and activist side.
How about your father?
I was mostly raised by my mother and my aunts. My father worked abroad, and I was too young to go with him. He didn’t have an influence on my love for or practice of football. I was a free-spirited child from a very young age. My mother trusted me, my brother, and my sister. The most popular game in my town and in the streets was football, so it felt like destiny to me. That’s why the name on my kits is AMOR FATI (Latin: Love of Faith). Later on, I started playing with my brother and his group of friends. I was the only girl and the youngest. My brother gave me a place, and I grabbed it with both hands, full of enthusiasm. I was happy to be the little one playing with the older ones in the neighbourhood! It helped me to have those early experiences and understand the language and codes of street football.
So how did Cacahuètes Sluts come about?
The name was invented with no brainstorming. 12 years ago, we met at a dive bar after our first game. We started talking about the training and how to improve our game. How to structure the team, etc. One teammate asked me, “What do you think about our level?” I answered in English, “Our level is peanuts (cacahuètes). We need to improve our level.” And she replied: “Maybe we’re peanuts, but on the pitch we’re sluts.” At the time, I thought sluts meant someone strong, but I later learned what it really meant. But it stuck.
The name also helps deconstruct ideas of women’s football. Due to the name, men approached us and asked about our name. It helps create a dialogue with men and it engages people not interested in football. There are people in our community who are not interested in football, but they are interested in our kits, with our engagement in regards to women and LGBTQ. At the time, I thought brands would not work with us because of our name, but now brands work with us. Because of our name, they choose us. Today, the media are interested in our story.
My name is Fatima, or Fati, I was born in Algeria. I immigrated to France at 7 years old. I played in Algeria, it was really mixed between boys and girls. When I came to Paris, I started playing in a club. My first time playing in a club with only girls. I played in the banlieue (suburban neighbourhoods). At 13-14 years old, I played with boys, and then I started playing with girls. I enjoyed it. I played with the club up until I was 22 years old. I stopped because of school, and it wasn't my priority. I wanted something more, because with clubs you come and play, that's it. I stopped playing 3-4 years ago.
How did your mother influence you with football?
The classic story is that your mother didn’t want you to play football, but your father did. My mother watches more football than me, and she pushed me to play for fun. I always knew I never wanted to be a pro. It was not my story. I know my story was with football, but with the creative and activist side.
How about your father?
I was mostly raised by my mother and my aunts. My father worked abroad, and I was too young to go with him. He didn’t have an influence on my love for or practice of football. I was a free-spirited child from a very young age. My mother trusted me, my brother, and my sister. The most popular game in my town and in the streets was football, so it felt like destiny to me. That’s why the name on my kits is AMOR FATI (Latin: Love of Faith). Later on, I started playing with my brother and his group of friends. I was the only girl and the youngest. My brother gave me a place, and I grabbed it with both hands, full of enthusiasm. I was happy to be the little one playing with the older ones in the neighbourhood! It helped me to have those early experiences and understand the language and codes of street football.
So how did Cacahuètes Sluts come about?
The name was invented with no brainstorming. 12 years ago, we met at a dive bar after our first game. We started talking about the training and how to improve our game. How to structure the team, etc. One teammate asked me, “What do you think about our level?” I answered in English, “Our level is peanuts (cacahuètes). We need to improve our level.” And she replied: “Maybe we’re peanuts, but on the pitch we’re sluts.” At the time, I thought sluts meant someone strong, but I later learned what it really meant. But it stuck.
The name also helps deconstruct ideas of women’s football. Due to the name, men approached us and asked about our name. It helps create a dialogue with men and it engages people not interested in football. There are people in our community who are not interested in football, but they are interested in our kits, with our engagement in regards to women and LGBTQ. At the time, I thought brands would not work with us because of our name, but now brands work with us. Because of our name, they choose us. Today, the media are interested in our story.
Was the intention of Cacahuètes sluts to create a community?
Yes. I wanted a community. I wanted girls who played but stopped and girls who were athletic and creative. I also wanted people from the LGBTQ community. In French, we call it amateur football, but the English term grassroots is more accurate. But I prefer the term alternative football. We use football to express the project. We use fashion, photography, music, all things we love, and bring it into football. To give another vision of football because football is closed, codified and traditional.
What is the space like for women in Parisian football culture?
For women, there is more work to do, specifically around infrastructure. But in the last 5-10 years, we see and feel the changes coming. There are more groups like Cacahuètes sluts that are helping that change. They express themselves in the way they play and design their kits. More and more women and non-binary people are playing football. And we see more women attend games at PSG and the national team. Thanks to alternative football, we give more visibility on and off the pitch.
How would you describe the cultural intersection of Paris and football?
Paris is one of the places where football and culture are mixed. Paris is a city of football and fashion. It’s (Paris Saint-Germain) not one of the most celebrated teams in France, but it is globally. So, in this city, we can see the collaboration between clubs and luxury brands. In Paris, football is not just a sport. It’s a part of the culture. You can really feel it. This big culture around PSG, Parc des Princes and Stade de France, along with Paris Fashion Week, you can really feel the mix at different levels and see the different expressions in different districts. You can see people wearing big brands with football kits. It’s a good city to explore fashion and football.
Yes. I wanted a community. I wanted girls who played but stopped and girls who were athletic and creative. I also wanted people from the LGBTQ community. In French, we call it amateur football, but the English term grassroots is more accurate. But I prefer the term alternative football. We use football to express the project. We use fashion, photography, music, all things we love, and bring it into football. To give another vision of football because football is closed, codified and traditional.
What is the space like for women in Parisian football culture?
For women, there is more work to do, specifically around infrastructure. But in the last 5-10 years, we see and feel the changes coming. There are more groups like Cacahuètes sluts that are helping that change. They express themselves in the way they play and design their kits. More and more women and non-binary people are playing football. And we see more women attend games at PSG and the national team. Thanks to alternative football, we give more visibility on and off the pitch.
How would you describe the cultural intersection of Paris and football?
Paris is one of the places where football and culture are mixed. Paris is a city of football and fashion. It’s (Paris Saint-Germain) not one of the most celebrated teams in France, but it is globally. So, in this city, we can see the collaboration between clubs and luxury brands. In Paris, football is not just a sport. It’s a part of the culture. You can really feel it. This big culture around PSG, Parc des Princes and Stade de France, along with Paris Fashion Week, you can really feel the mix at different levels and see the different expressions in different districts. You can see people wearing big brands with football kits. It’s a good city to explore fashion and football.
As an entrepreneur, how did you connect the dots between fashion, food and football? How did you make it work for you?
It came naturally. In my mind, it’s all about sharing and creativity. For me, fashion, food and football. It’s all about giving to the other, or it’s to show and to share. These three things you show, share and give. I wanted to create a nutmeg between all these three things. The chef of Gramme, Marine Gora, started playing with Cacahuètes sluts. Gramme is a famous restaurant. We decided to collaborate and launch a new project, Cacahuètes Butter. We came up with the idea of launching a peanut butter in collaboration. I decided to do a fashion shoot but with the butter. Paris is famous for all these three things.
Does football foster creativity, or is it a form of therapy? Or both?
I think it’s both for me. I use football as a place to express myself with freedom. In football, everyone can bring their own style, and you cannot lie. The way you play is your truest expression. It is also a way to empty and open your mind. You focus on your body, the people around you, and you focus on the pleasure you feel in that moment. Football is when I am most creative. It is where i feel most like myself. I feel the most free.
How does football reflect your personality or worldview?
It’s a part of my identity. My story, my work, the team I created reflects my personality because I am someone who likes to share and bring people together—part of my story and creativity. Thanks to football, when I leave the country, I use football to connect with people. I used the language of football to create my identity.
It came naturally. In my mind, it’s all about sharing and creativity. For me, fashion, food and football. It’s all about giving to the other, or it’s to show and to share. These three things you show, share and give. I wanted to create a nutmeg between all these three things. The chef of Gramme, Marine Gora, started playing with Cacahuètes sluts. Gramme is a famous restaurant. We decided to collaborate and launch a new project, Cacahuètes Butter. We came up with the idea of launching a peanut butter in collaboration. I decided to do a fashion shoot but with the butter. Paris is famous for all these three things.
Does football foster creativity, or is it a form of therapy? Or both?
I think it’s both for me. I use football as a place to express myself with freedom. In football, everyone can bring their own style, and you cannot lie. The way you play is your truest expression. It is also a way to empty and open your mind. You focus on your body, the people around you, and you focus on the pleasure you feel in that moment. Football is when I am most creative. It is where i feel most like myself. I feel the most free.
How does football reflect your personality or worldview?
It’s a part of my identity. My story, my work, the team I created reflects my personality because I am someone who likes to share and bring people together—part of my story and creativity. Thanks to football, when I leave the country, I use football to connect with people. I used the language of football to create my identity.
How has the Algerian and French identity shaped your love of the game?
It’s a good combination. In France, I would choose Paris or Marseille, I love cities with movement and energy. This is where I started my community and work. With Algeria, it’s my roots, and it’s a welcoming culture, but I cannot do the same things in Algeria as I do in France. In Algeria, I cannot freely be a lesbian, but Paris gives me this. You can access a vibrant artistic community in Paris, but I also come from Paris. (We then discussed (fanboyed/fangirled Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema.)
What is the Algerian experience like in Paris?
It’s complicated to answer. In Paris, you feel comfortable because you find a large Arabic community. But there is a lot of racism towards Arabs here. Arab men are often subject to racism in Paris, but it’s good to live in Paris compared to smaller cities. In France, a woman wearing a hijab is a big no. There will be pushback towards women wearing a hijab at a high level, like in politics. There are also barriers to women playing sports. I am ashamed to be French sometimes as I am half and half. You are welcome, but you must be “this, this and this.”
You stated you own 50 kits. Which one was your first, and do you have a favourite?
My first kit was Bayern Munich 1995/1996. My mom bought it for me at a flea market. Why Bayern? My mom loves football and encouraged me to play football. She loves Germany. My mom was in Berlin when the [Berlin] Wall came down. She has a connection to Germany and her love for Bayern Munich. I had a picture when I was 10-12 years old, and I always wore this jersey. And I love kits with stripes. My favourite is the 2020 Algeria kit. I love it because it’s so bling bling. They have this brilliant texture. I love it because it’s so Algerian. We love bling bling.
It’s a good combination. In France, I would choose Paris or Marseille, I love cities with movement and energy. This is where I started my community and work. With Algeria, it’s my roots, and it’s a welcoming culture, but I cannot do the same things in Algeria as I do in France. In Algeria, I cannot freely be a lesbian, but Paris gives me this. You can access a vibrant artistic community in Paris, but I also come from Paris. (We then discussed (fanboyed/fangirled Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema.)
What is the Algerian experience like in Paris?
It’s complicated to answer. In Paris, you feel comfortable because you find a large Arabic community. But there is a lot of racism towards Arabs here. Arab men are often subject to racism in Paris, but it’s good to live in Paris compared to smaller cities. In France, a woman wearing a hijab is a big no. There will be pushback towards women wearing a hijab at a high level, like in politics. There are also barriers to women playing sports. I am ashamed to be French sometimes as I am half and half. You are welcome, but you must be “this, this and this.”
You stated you own 50 kits. Which one was your first, and do you have a favourite?
My first kit was Bayern Munich 1995/1996. My mom bought it for me at a flea market. Why Bayern? My mom loves football and encouraged me to play football. She loves Germany. My mom was in Berlin when the [Berlin] Wall came down. She has a connection to Germany and her love for Bayern Munich. I had a picture when I was 10-12 years old, and I always wore this jersey. And I love kits with stripes. My favourite is the 2020 Algeria kit. I love it because it’s so bling bling. They have this brilliant texture. I love it because it’s so Algerian. We love bling bling.
Do you have football fashion faux pas? Or what is the biggest faux pas?
When I go to training, I always try to have colours that match, and I am very strict with this. Sometimes, I am late for this reason. I saw a picture of Haaland wearing Dolce Gabbana pyjamas to a party. That was a no for me. Footballers have no limit to their fashion. Ok, you have money to spend but choose a good one. To go out wearing this is my faux pas.
Lastly, this is a controversial question: Pain au chocolat ou chocolatine?
They (Parisians) will kill me, but it’s chocolatine. I use chocolatine because my girlfriend is from the South of France, and they call it chocolatine. I think it’s more appropriate than pain au chocolat. It is not chocolate bread or bread made from chocolate.
When I go to training, I always try to have colours that match, and I am very strict with this. Sometimes, I am late for this reason. I saw a picture of Haaland wearing Dolce Gabbana pyjamas to a party. That was a no for me. Footballers have no limit to their fashion. Ok, you have money to spend but choose a good one. To go out wearing this is my faux pas.
Lastly, this is a controversial question: Pain au chocolat ou chocolatine?
They (Parisians) will kill me, but it’s chocolatine. I use chocolatine because my girlfriend is from the South of France, and they call it chocolatine. I think it’s more appropriate than pain au chocolat. It is not chocolate bread or bread made from chocolate.