2023-12-21 16:00:23
This is a “relief” for Christophe Galtier and his lawyers. Released this Thursday by the Nice criminal court (Alpes-Maritimes), the former coach of Paris Saint-Germain and the Aiglons was not present when the decision was announced.
But his lawyers, Me Sébastien Schapira and Me Olivier Martin, hailed from Nice the legal victory of their client. “It is a reaction of relief, because these odious accusations had caused significant damage to his life as a man and his professional career,” declared Mr. Olivier Martin in comments reported by AFP.
The coach wants to “turn the page”
He continues: “Today, it is a total rehabilitation for him, (…) but it is also a satisfaction for the defense because we were able to deconstruct the offenses unfairly pursued by the prosecution, but also because we have was able to demonstrate the manipulation that had been carried out and the exploitation made of certain comments, with the avowed aim of harming the man and his professional reputation.
The two lawyers were able to speak with their client, currently in Qatar where he is coaching the Al-Duhail club against Al Ahli this Thursday afternoon. “Christophe Galtier told us both how relieved he was,” confides Me Sébastien Schapira, “how much he now wanted to turn the page, to devote himself fully to sport, to his family. »
Also, the ex-PSG coach expressed to them “how relieved he was to have regained his honor, because that is what it is about,” continued Mr. Sébastien Schapira. And added: “It’s a feeling of satisfaction and justice. It was a case made up from scratch, with slander, and the court dismantled it piece by piece. »
“Justice does not happen on talk shows”
The affair began in April with the revelation by journalists of an inflammatory email from May 2022 from Julien Fournier, then general director of OGC Nice, to the shareholder, the British group Ineos. He accused Galtier of demanding fewer “blacks and Muslims” in the team and of rebelling against players who refused to suspend Ramadan on match days, as did the Muslim Lille with whom he had been champion of France the previous season.
“This decision is a life-saving call to order, justice is delivered in the courtrooms, in the context of an adversarial debate, not in late-night talk shows or on YouTube by two incompetent pseudo-journalists,” insisted Mr. Martin.
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