The old story of a talent scout and a future World Cup winner has been recast in far darker terms. A new investigation examines the conduct of Eric Olhats, the former mentor of Antoine Griezmann, who was sentenced in November 2025 to six years in prison for sexual offences against minors.
Key takeaways
- Eric Olhats received a six-year prison sentence in November 2025 following complaints from young footballers he accommodated.
- Investigators found 443 Temesta tablets at Olhats’ home, a detail the authors say was not explored during his trial.
- Olhats had previously received a suspended one-year sentence in 1991, but this conviction did not appear on his criminal record.
- The investigation raises questions over Real Sociedad’s relationship with Olhats and his access to young players.
- Antoine Griezmann told investigators in 2022 that nothing improper had happened between Olhats and himself or other children.
A mentor’s influence and the warnings around him
Olhats built much of his public profile around his role in Griezmann’s development, regularly presenting himself as the man who helped launch the France international’s career at Real Sociedad. He later held a little-known role at Rennes during the 2018-19 season.
But the book Dans la gueule du loup, written by Thomas Rabino and Fabien Touati, describes allegations of abuse, intimidation and manipulation involving young players housed by Olhats in Bayonne. The authors say a large number of children passed through his home without the conditions of their accommodation receiving sufficient scrutiny.
The flat was described as a three-room apartment with its shutters permanently closed. Testimonies collected by the authors allege that children were physically assaulted and subjected to psychological violence there.
They also highlighted the discovery of 443 tablets of Temesta, a powerful anti-anxiety medication. The authors said the quantity matched that found in the case involving Dominique Pélicot, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging, raping and arranging the rape of his wife. They questioned why this evidence did not feature more prominently in Olhats’ trial.
Concerns surrounding Olhats had existed long before the 2025 conviction. In 1991, he was handed a suspended prison term for what was then termed “indecent assault”, yet the ruling was not recorded on his criminal record. The authors argue that this enabled him to maintain an outwardly respectable reputation despite persistent suspicions in the Basque Country.
They say mothers who attempted to challenge him or raise concerns about their children were often dismissed, discouraged from filing complaints or portrayed as overreacting. Olhats’ standing in local football, they argue, made him a powerful gatekeeper for young players hoping to reach the professional game.
Questions over Real Sociedad and Griezmann’s years in Spain
The investigation also scrutinises Real Sociedad’s dealings with Olhats. Testimony cited by the authors alleges that he received €600 in cash each month for every young player he housed, while retaining broad access to the club’s facilities.
The authors maintain that this access allowed Olhats to bring other children to training sessions, promising them a possible route into professional football. They say the club did not respond to their requests for comment and question why its officials were not interviewed during the investigation into Olhats.
Griezmann arrived at Olhats’ home as a 13-year-old. The authors place his arrival shortly after a young man, who did not file a complaint, said he had been subjected to chemical submission. They note that Olhats had already encountered the justice system twice during periods when Griezmann stayed with him: from 2005 to 2007, and again between 2009 and 2010.
One episode described in the book concerns Olhats returning home badly injured after allegedly being beaten with bamboo sticks by the father of a player. Following a first-instance conviction linked to that incident, Real Sociedad reportedly removed Griezmann and two other players from Olhats’ accommodation. The operation is said to have involved two cars carrying the club president, first-team coach, sporting director and doctor.
A letter defending Olhats was published in newspapers around the same period and was signed by Griezmann, Quentin and Alex. The authors question the circumstances in which the statement was written, raising the possibility that the players may have been under pressure or within a relationship of influence.
Griezmann and those close to him declined to answer the authors’ questions. His only known public record on the matter came during an interview with investigators in Enghien-les-Bains in 2022. He said: “I lived with Eric from 2004 to 2009 and nothing strange ever happened between Eric and me, or between Eric and the other children.”
The authors do not speak on Griezmann’s behalf, but describe the setting around him as toxic and unhealthy. They also challenge the familiar image of Olhats as a demanding coach whose strict methods shaped Griezmann’s rise.
Stories of Griezmann being made to practise against a wall late at night were often presented as evidence of a hard but productive football education. A former flatmate, however, told the authors those sessions were punishment: children were allegedly dragged out of bed at any hour, shouted at, exposed to loud music and sometimes taken outside during the night.
For the authors, the unanswered issue is not only Olhats’ downfall, but the football structures that allowed him to retain influence over young players for so long.
