Coach Christophe Galtier will be tried in December for alleged discriminatory remarks made when he was coaching OGC Nice, the culmination of a nightmarish season for the one who is about to leave PSG. During his hearing on Friday, he “contested the offenses likely to be charged against him”, said the public prosecutor of Nice, Xavier Bonhomme in a press release. He will be tried on December 15 before the Nice Criminal Court “on counts of moral harassment and discrimination on the grounds of belonging or not belonging, real or supposed, to an ethnic group, a nation, an alleged race or a determined religion”, details the prosecutor. Offenses punishable by three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.
His son John Valovic-Galtier, players’ agent, who had also been placed in police custody on Friday, came out free without any prosecution, the prosecutor told AFP. A preliminary investigation had been opened in mid-April for suspicions of “discrimination based on an alleged race or affiliation to a religion” targeting Christophe Galtier, when he was at the head of the Ligue 1 team, between 2021 and 2022 The affair broke out after the revelation by the independent journalist Romain Molina then the radio RMC of an email, which the AFP could not authenticate, addressed to the management of the Nice club by the former director of football of the Julien Fournier club, with whom Galtier had an execrable relationship.
Galtier says he is “deeply shocked”
In this e-mail, Fournier reported these remarks attributed to the outgoing PSG coach: “‘He then replied that I had to take into account the reality of the city and that indeed, we could not have as many blacks and Muslims in the team'” and “‘He told me of his desire to change the team in depth, also specifying that he wanted to limit the number of Muslim players as much as possible'”.
“I am deeply shocked by the comments that I am given, relayed by some in an irresponsible way”, reacted Galtier in a press conference after the outbreak of the case. He had filed a complaint on April 21 for death threats and defamation against Julien Fournier and two journalists, said Olivier Martin. Julien Fournier had indicated on May 22 to AFP to have been “heard”. Several Nice players and leaders such as club president Jean-Pierre Rivère, as well as ex-coach Didier Digard were also questioned by investigators. Searches were also carried out in mid-April, recalls the prosecution.
At 56, Galtier was informed in early June that he would not be doing a second year of contract at PSG, despite winning the eleventh French championship title. Former defender in particular of Olympique de Marseille where he was born and trained, Galtier, after training Saint-Etienne, experienced success in Lille which he led to the title of champion of France in 2021. The following season , he led OGC Nice to a Coupe de France final before joining the capital club in July 2022, where he succeeded Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino.