2023-12-14 18:34:25
Did Christophe Galtier really deplore the number of black players and Muslim players present within OGC Nice? This is what the Nice criminal court (Alpes-Maritimes) will have to decide this Friday, December 15.
Coach of the Aiglons between 2021 and 2022, Christophe Galtier must be judged there for “moral harassment and discrimination based on membership or non-membership, true or supposed, to an ethnic group, a nation or an alleged race or religion determined . » Indicted for this last June, he risks up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.
Between two matches with his new Qatari club Al-Duhail – a defeat against Al Sadd this Wednesday (3-1) then an upcoming meeting on Sunday against Al Wakrah – the French technician will be present from 8:30 a.m. this Friday at the Palais de Justice of the city, alongside his lawyers Me Olivier Martin and Me Sébastien Schapira.
“He never discriminated or harassed anyone” say his lawyers
“Determined” according to them, the Frenchman has not planned to request the referral of the case. A sign that Christophe Galtier hopes to quickly leave behind this year marked by legal meetings. “He is finally awaiting this public and contradictory debate where he will demonstrate that he has obviously never discriminated or harassed anyone,” his lawyers tell Agence France Presse. His entire professional career and his reputation bear witness to his impeccable personality. »
Since the start of the affair, Christophe Galtier has spoken little but has always denied the facts with which he is accused. “It’s false, the players know me, the managers know me,” he insisted to Canal + in mid-September in one of his rare speeches. The prosecutor is referring me to court for harassment of certain players and for discrimination against certain players. As a coach I only think about the health of my players and their performance. My players managed Ramadan as they wanted. I don’t accept people saying I’m racist. »
Back to last April. Independent journalist Romain Molina and then RMC radio revealed the existence of an email in which Julien Fournier, former football director of OCG Nice, reported comments attributed to Christophe Galtier. The former Saint-Étienne coach reportedly said that we had to “take into account the reality of the city” and that therefore, “we could not have as many blacks and Muslims in the team”. Christophe Galtier would also have indicated, again according to Julien Fournier who then addressed the leaders of his club, that it was necessary to “limit the number of Muslim players as much as possible”. An investigation was quickly opened by the Nice prosecutor’s office.
Christophe Galtier coached the OGC Nice team between 2021 and 2022. Julien Fournier, right, was director of football at the club at the time. Icon Sports. Icon Sports
Julien Fournier did not confirm his presence at the trial
The other elements of the case will be known this Friday during the hearing, but the revelations of the newspaper L’Équipe on December 5 brought to the attention of the general public other derogatory remarks that the coach allegedly made. During his hearing, Julien Fournier would have cited the case of the Algerian international Islam Slimani, whose recruitment Galtier would have refused in Nice in particular because he was going to Ramadan.
He also accuses the coach of having been reluctant to integrate Billal Brahimi, another Algerian international, into his squad. Frédéric Gioria, member of Galtier’s former staff, was also interviewed. “Another Muslim, I don’t want one, we’ve had enough”; “the worst are the Algerians,” Galtier would have said according to his account to the investigators. So many words that the winner of the last French Championship denies and will contest this Friday. The searches carried out in mid-April did not allow the investigation to move forward.
According to our information and given the lack of depth of the file, certain protagonists cited in the case such as Julien Fournier, could be absent. Contacted, the latter did not wish to confirm or deny his presence on Friday during the hearing. The former Nice manager, also formerly with RC Strasbourg, seems to want to keep his distance from this news as he has been from the world of football since the end of his mission with the Aiglons club in July 2022.
#Accused #racism #harassment #Christophe #Galtier #determined #time #trial