LIGUE 1
PSG boss Christophe Galtier denies racism accusation as new allegations appear
Galtier has been offered support by his club and some ex-players as new allegations of racism surface during his time at Nice.
Wednesday 12 April was not a great day for Christophe Galtier. It was revealed that former Nice director of football Julien Fournier had sent an email to INEOS, the owners of the Ligue 1 club, alleging that the current Paris Saint-Germain head coach had made racist remarks about his own players during his time on the Côte d’Azur. Revelations which initially cast doubt over his future as manager of the Ligue 1 leaders.
Email claims “too many blacks and Muslims comment”
The sorry saga began on Tuesday night, when French soccer journalist Romain Molina and After Foot, a radio program broadcast on RMC Sport, disclosed the contents of Fournier’s email, which warned INEOS about Galtier’s comments shortly after he joined the club as manager. According to John Valovic-Galtier, the PSG boss’ adopted son, his father had complained about the number of black and Muslim players on the team, to the point of calling the squad “full of scum” because “half of them were in the Mosque on Friday afternoons”.
Accusations “categorically denied” by PSG boss Galtier
After the news broke, Galtier didn’t take long to react, via his lawyer. As reported by AFP, the ex-Nice coach “categorically denied” that he has made such remarks and stated that he reserved the right to “take legal action” against anyone who had defamed him. PSG, meanwhile, attempted to distance themselves from the story. The club, via an unofficial statement, said that the matter “did not concern them” as it had taken place prior to Galtier’s time in Paris. They said that they supported and believed their head coach’s version of events.
Fournier also reacted, speaking to Nice-Matin, a regional daily French newspaper. The former Nice director of football admitted that the news had “taken him by surprise in Brazil” and that he did not understand “the timing”, just 24 hours before the club, the only left representing France in European competition this season, take on Basel in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.
More layers added to the story by Nice-Matin
Nice-Matin, however, also added more layers to the story, beginning with the relationship between Galtier and Fournier. Despite the team being in second place in Ligue 1 halfway through the season, they claim that the two did not get along at all. The Marseille-born coach was unhappy with the business that had been done in the transfer market and asked club management to remove Fournier from his position. The director of football was indeed released and leaked the email sent to INEOS as a form of revenge months later.
Nice-Matin also added that Galiter, according to sources at the club, was against signing Muslim players. For example, it is said that he questioned the signing, at Fournier’s request, of Pablo Rosario, due to him being a Muslim. During Ramadan, the PSG coach allegedly ‘forced’ the Muslims to break fast if they wanted to play, which led to unrest in the dressing room, mostly notably with Jean-Clair Todibo, Amine Gouiri and Hicham Boudaoui. Fournier, who wanted current Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag as manager, spoke internally about how hiring Galtier was “a mistake” just two months after the appointment. “If you don’t eat, you don’t play”, is the phrase the newspaper alleges the coach uttered to his players during Ramadan.
Nice, meanwhile, issued a statement on Wednesday explaining that the club was “not going to comment further on the matter and that the events were treated seriously at the time”. Their current manager Didier Digard, who played for them between 2010 and 2015, threatened to leave the club after Galtier allegedly made fun of his physical appearance, specifically his long beard that made him look like a Muslim.
Galtier’s immediate PSG future not in doubt
Digard, in his pre-match press conference before the clash against Basel, said that “the truth will be made clear, but not today”. PSG opted not to release a statement, but claimed that Galtier’s future was “not in doubt” and that no steps have been taken to carry out an internal investigation into the matter. The club strengthened security around Galtier on Wednesday after he received more than 5,000 death threats, according to sources consulted by AS.
Despite the accusations made, PSG’s current sporting advisor Luis Campos offered his support for Galtier, confirming that during their time togetheer at Lille (2017-2021), he had never made any racist or discriminatory comments. Some of Galtier’s ex-players, including José Font and Burak Yilmaz, public expressed their support for their former coach, who they insist would never behave in such a way.
Galtier’s “written evidence” which contradicts Forunier
According to Le Parisien, Galtier has reliable written evidence that contradicts Fournier’s claims. On the eve of the match against Lens, which will be played on Friday, the PSG boss will almost certainly be asked about the situation in his pre-match press conference. For now, Galtier will continue in his post, although his long-term future will be decided at the end of the season by the club, who insist that they will continue to play “an active role in the fight against racism”.