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Coach Christophe Galtier, in trouble at Paris SG, worked on Wednesday to deny accusations of discrimination and / or racism from the time he officiated in Nice. “Facts” brought to the surface against the backdrop of a personal conflict with a former manager of the Riviera club. The controversy continues to swell to the point of seeing Galtier placed under protection.
Christophe Galtier, coach of Parsi-SG, has been facing a growing controversy since Tuesday evening, April 12, and the publication, by the independent journalist Romain Molina then the media RMC Sports, of an email attributed to the former director of the ‘OGC Nice, Julien Fournier, reporting remarks deemed discriminatory by Galtier about part of the Nice locker room.
This message was sent at the end of last season to Dave Brailsford, Sport Director at Ineos, the petrochemical group that owns the Nice club, to denounce racist and Islamophobic statements in the context of the construction of the workforce or the group management.
In the email attributed to Julien Fournier, the former Nice leader would have written: “ He (Christophe Galtier, editor’s note) said to me ‘last night’ I went to the restaurant and everyone fell on me saying that we have a team of blacks’ then adding ‘Julien, you have to realize in what city we are, we are in the city of Jacques Médecin (former mayor of Nice, editor’s note), and our team does not correspond to what people want, as it does not correspond to me’, there was no argument athletic, but only religious arguments or skin color ».
The son Galtier “chased out”
Julien Fournier, also passed through Marseille, also recounts the previous interview he would have had with the son and agent of Christophe Galtier, John Valovic-Galtier.
« He (the son: Editor’s note) then told me about his father’s untenable situation, saying the following: Julien, it’s not going well, my father was in tears yesterday, you don’t realize. I ask him what’s going on and he explains to me that this team doesn’t look like him, that we can’t go on like this. I asked him to back up what he said so that I would understand better and he said to me: you have built a team of scum. (…) I asked him to be more specific and he then added: There are only blacks and half of your team is at the mosque on Friday afternoon… I indicated to Mr. John Valovic-Galtier that I was scandalized by his remarks and asked him to leave my office immediately ».
For his part, Christophe Galtier, who moved from Nice to PSG last summer, ” learned with amazement of the insulting and defamatory remarks of Mr. Julien Fournier against him “Said his lawyer, Me Olivier Martin, in a press release sent Wednesday afternoon to AFP.
« Given the seriousness of the charges against him, which he disputes with the greatest firmness, Christophe Galtier immediately seized his lawyer (…) to initiate, without delay, the necessary legal proceedings which are necessary, and this , especially since since this disclosure, he has been the subject of intolerable threats and acts of harassment », is it still written.
Ultras Warning
OGC Nice, where Galtier and Fournier then worked, also reacted, via a succinct press release: “The facts related concern two people no longer working for OGC Nice. This situation was treated with the utmost seriousness at the time of the events. The club will not provide more comments, ”said the Riviera club.
PSG did not wish to react immediately. On the other hand, the Collectif Ultras Paris, the main group of supporters, split a short text in which it claims to follow the “Galtier affair” closely, with this warning: “ If the facts with which he is accused are proven, it is not acceptable for this person to remain in the club’s organization chart. ». « We recall that we have always positioned ourselves against all forms of discrimination and this fight is a historic cause of our shift write the ultras of the Porte d’Auteuil.
Support for Galtier
The former coach of Lille has received since Tuesday the support of Roland Romeyer, his former president in Saint-Etienne, as well as his former players like the Portuguese José Fonte or the Turkish Burak Yilmaz trained in Lille. He posted on Twitter: I read the news today and felt I had to say something. I worked with Galtier and never felt any negative behavior from him because of my religion or nationality. He’s a fantastic coach as well as a fantastic person. »
The episode comes at a delicate time for Galtier who, after early eliminations in the Champions League (against Bayern Munich) and Coupe de France (against Marseille), must still fight to win the Ligue 1 title, with only six points ahead of Lens eight days before the end of the championship.
The technician received threats. He has been placed under protection by the club, his lawyer said.