At the end of the Ligue 1 season, we had almost forgotten that the Galtier affair had its share of weekly rebounds in store for us. We therefore learn this Monday that the former director of football for OGC Nice Julien Fournier was heard by the courts as part of the investigation into suspicions of racism targeting the former coach of the Aiglons. “I was heard a few days ago, I don’t want to comment,” soberly explained the person concerned on Monday.
For his part, Christophe Galtier, current coach of Paris Saint-Germain, has not yet been heard by the courts, according to a source familiar with the matter. Several Nice players and managers, such as club president Jean-Pierre Rivère, as well as current coach Didier Digard were also heard by the investigators. Christophe Galtier is suspected of having made discriminatory, racist and Islamophobic remarks last season, when he was at the head of the Gym. “I am deeply shocked by the comments that I am given, relayed by some in an irresponsible way”, had reacted in a press conference the champion of France 2021, after the outbreak of the case in mid-April.
Open investigation and searches in Nice
In an email addressed to the owner of the Nice club Ineos, revealed by the independent journalist Romain Molina and by RMC, Julien Fournier, with whom Christophe Galtier gradually maintained execrable relations in 2021-2022, notably reported these remarks attributed to the PSG coach: “He replied that I had to take into account the reality of the city and that indeed, we could not have so many blacks and Muslims in the team” and “He expressed his desire to change the team in depth, also specifying that he wanted to limit the number of Muslim players as much as possible.
A preliminary investigation was opened by the Nice prosecutor’s office for suspicion of “discrimination based on an alleged race or belonging to a religion” and searches were carried out on April 14 at the headquarters of OGC Nice.