"I am deeply shocked by the remarks attributed to me, relayed by some in an irresponsible way," said the technician, his face serious, reading a text prepared in advance in the preamble to the press conference before the match, before specifying that he would make "no other comments on this subject".

"Christophe responded clearly by firmly denying and announcing that he was filing a complaint," a spokesman for the club had previously said at his side, saying that PSG "supports Christophe Galtier" and "wants the truth to be established by justice".

"While waiting for judicial time, the club calls on everyone to be responsible and appeased (...) PSG will not be troubled by this episode," he said, recalling that "the fight against racism and all discrimination is a fundamental commitment" of the club.

The storm broke out on Tuesday night when Galtier was suspected of having made discriminatory, racist and Islamophobic remarks, dating back to his year at the head of OGC Nice (2021-2022).

The court seized

In an email addressed to the management of the Nice club revealed by the independent journalist Romain Molina then RMC, which AFP could not authenticate, the former director of OGC Nice Julien Fournier, with whom Galtier had an execrable relationship, reported these remarks attributed to the PSG coach: "+He then 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 told me of his desire to change the team in depth by also specifying that he wanted to limit as much as possible the number of Muslim players +".

Christophe Galtier in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on April 14, 2023 © Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

Justice was quick to take up this case since a preliminary investigation was opened by the Nice prosecutor's office for suspicions of "discrimination based on an alleged race or membership of a religion" and searches were conducted Friday morning at the headquarters of OGC Nice.

This investigation entrusted to the judicial police is "linked" with the accusations against Mr. Galtier, said Xavier Bonhomme to AFP.

"I have confidence in the justice of my country, I can only be satisfied with the opening of an investigation," explained the coach of PSG at his press conference while his lawyer Olivier Martin, interviewed by AFP, was "pleased that justice mobilizes to shed light on this case".

On a personal level, Galtier admitted that the days following the revelations were "very difficult, very hard, of course".

Threats and support

He explained that he had "taken refuge in working with (his) players, (his) staff" to prepare in the best way for the big meeting against Lens, second six lengths behind PSG.

Christophe Galtier with PSG players in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on April 14, 2023 © Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

"I haven't talked to my players about it," he said, "but they gave me the best answer: the total investment in training sessions."

Threatened and placed under protection by his club, Galtier said he had "had a lot of messages, a lot very unpleasant but also a lot of messages of support".

In the camp of supporters, Galtier was able to count on that of Benjamin André, champion of France 2021 in Lille under his orders.

"I don't think you can be in football, as a player and coach, for so long being racist. Football is multicultural, we rub shoulders every day, we sleep together, we eat together, we live together, we live things that are sometimes even stronger than in our family, and it is impossible for me to think that from (the) part" of Galtier, said the player Friday in a press conference.

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© 2023 AFP