Enzo Le Fée opens up on the importance of speaking up for Mental Health Awareness Week

Content warning: this article mentions suicide and related content 

Sunderland midfielder Enzo Le Fee appreciates the importance of talking. “It’s really, really, really not easy to speak, but it’s important,” the Frenchman told Danny Collins on behalf of LiveScore.

For Mental Health Awareness Week, Sunderland understands how talking can help an individual. A problem shared is a problem halved.

Eagle-eye fans will have spotted a change at Black Cat House near the Stadium of Light this week as the famous black cat was transformed to a black dog.

The change in public identity is to help raise awareness for a hidden threat to men, women and children alike. The dog itself is widely recognised as a metaphor for depression.

Le Bris: We have these conversations as a group

"Sunderland AFC sits at the heart of its community, and we know how important it is to use our voice to support the people who support us,” the club’s chief revenue officer, Scott McGubbin, said.

“The Black Cat is a proud part of our identity, so temporarily replacing it with the ‘Black Dog’ is a powerful way to highlight an issue that affects so many.

“This campaign is about more than just a visual change - it’s about encouraging conversations, raising awareness, and reminding our fans that they are never alone.”

Head coach Regis Le Bris added: “We have these conversations as a group. If we can support the city and the community, it's important.

“We have a voice and an opportunity to share ideas and set the tone, set the example. When we can support something which is really useful for the people, I think it's important to do.”

Dominic Vye, marketing director at LiveScore Group, said that the intention to make the change was intended to create an impact.

“Football has an unmatched ability to bring people together, and with that comes a responsibility to use our platform for something bigger,” Mr Vye said.

“As principal partner of Sunderland AFC, we wanted to create a campaign that doesn’t just raise awareness, but genuinely stops people in their tracks and makes them think.”

Subject close to Le Fee

For Le Fee, it’s a subject that is particularly close to his heart. In 2021, while playing for French side Lorient, the 26-year-old lost his father, Jeremy Lampriere, to suicide.

The Sunderland star kept the news to himself. He played. He trained. Nobody at the club was aware of the tragic burden Le Fee was shouldering.

“Everyone said they didn’t see any emotion,” Le Fee told the official Sunderland website back in September. “But when I have a problem, I keep it inside.

“When I play football, it’s my time to express everything. I think if I couldn’t play football at that time, it would have been really hard for me. Football is the only place where I can express myself.”

This goes some way to explaining the significance behind the decision to swap the cat for the dog. The Black Cats are a vital part of the community. A safe haven, for some. The chance of escapism for others.

Fans spend 90 minutes per week sharing the ups and downs, the highs and lows, that come with supporting Sunderland. The collective success or failure allows supporters the chance to forget about their problems, a brief respite when struggling. Fans, though, need not suffer alone, as Le Fee explained to Collins.

Le Fee: To speak is really important

“I used to be, how do you say, when you don’t speak a lot? You are like…”

“Introverted,” Collins adds to fill the gap. “Yeah. But I learned a bit as well. To speak is really important, Le Fee continued.

“I think, to get a really good circle, with your family, your friends,” Le Fee adds. “Everyone you can trust a bit. I’ve got, maybe maximum, nine friends. But I know them, I can trust them.”

Collins then asks whether those friends are in England, in France, or make the trip between the two countries, to which Le Fee says: “No, back in France. They come a bit sometimes.”

Family, too, plays a vital role for Le Fee, as he continues: “My family as well. I’m married now, so I’ve got my wife as well and now I think she knows me, and so I think it’s really important. Then you can free yourself a bit when you speak with them.”

Crucially, though, is that you surround yourself with people who you know will support you and help you through the darker days. “I think I learned this about my family situation when I was young and everything,” Le Fee went on to add.

“I think it’s really important for everyone to have this circle to free yourself.”

Please, though, know that you never have to suffer in silence.

There is always someone to talk to.

For more information about the “Game of II Halves” programme or to access support resources, visit the official Foundation of Light Game of II Halves page.