It’s a sentence pronounced on RMC last September and which had already set fire to the powder. Julien Fournier, former manager of OGC Nice, returned to his tensions with Christophe Galtier, then coach of the Riviera club: “If I explain the real reasons why we argued, because that’s really the word , Christophe would no longer enter a locker room, neither in France nor in Europe. “At the time, no one had revealed the exact reasons for this estrangement.
For the past week, we have known more with the investigations of RMC and journalist Romain Molina. Christophe Galtier would have at the time explained to his director of football, to prepare for the 2021 summer transfer window in Nice, that he wanted to limit the number of players of color and of Muslim faith in his locker room.
Julien Fournier then reported these remarks, in an email, to Dave Brailsford, sports director at Ineos, owner of the Aiglons. “Julien, you have to realize what city we are in, 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, like it does not correspond to me. »
Much more explicit words would have been held by the son of Christophe Galtier, John Valovic-Galtier, who also acts as an agent for his father. According to Julien Fournier, he would have said: “‘You have built a team of scum’ […]. I asked him to be more specific and he added, “There are only black people and half your team is at the mosque on Friday afternoons.” »
It is also the practice of Ramadan that the 56-year-old coach would have pointed out: “We cannot win games under these conditions, it has too much impact on performance. The coach would have opposed players affected by this month of fasting, such as Jean-Clair Todibo and Hicham Boudaoui. “If you don’t eat, you don’t play,” Galtier would have said to the latter.
Julien Fournier disputed being at the origin of the diffusion of the famous email but did not invalidate its content. “I am currently in Brazil away from this controversy that I am associated with at my expense. I am in no way responsible for the dissemination of this year-old internal information, at the time of my departure from the club. I have never fired on an ambulance, despite all our differences with Christophe Galtier, and above all I have too much respect for OGC Nice, a club whose colors I proudly defended for more than ten years […] The the timing of these revelations revolts me as much as their content, “said the leader, interviewed by the daily Nice-Matin.
For his part, Christophe Galtier spoke to the press on Friday, April 14, during the PSG-Lens pre-match, reading a press release in which he rejected all these accusations: “I am deeply shocked by the comments that the I am lent to and which have been relayed by some in an irresponsible way, which strikes me at the depths of my humanity. »
The Parisian coach has filed a complaint against Julien Fournier, Romain Molina and journalist Daniel Riolo, for defamation. Another complaint will be filed against the three men for endangering others. Finally, there will be a third complaint against X for harassment and death threats. Christophe Galtier has been placed under police protection following numerous threats received since the start of the case.
?? “I have decided to sue anyone who harms my honor” Christophe Galtier, PSG coach, reacts for the first time to accusations of racism pic.twitter.com/QlGcdCpDOK
Justice also intervened at the headquarters of OGC Nice, as indicated, on Twitter, by the prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme, with the opening of a preliminary investigation: “I confirm the existence of a preliminary investigation entrusted on the initiative yesterday, April 13, at the Nice PJ on the grounds of discrimination based on an alleged race or belonging to a religion. Searches are underway within the premises of OGC Nice. »
Since these revelations came out, many former players, who had Christophe Galtier as a coach, have come to his defense, in particular athletes of the Muslim faith, like the Turkish player Burak Yilmaz, who knew him in Lille. . “I read the news today and felt I had to say something. I worked with him 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. »
Same story with Mevlut Erding, also of Turkish origin, interviewed by L’Équipe: “Galtier is a very good friend of mine before being a coach and I have known him for almost fifteen years. I worked with him for four or five years, whether in Sochaux or Saint-Étienne. I didn’t feel any racism from him. Myself, I was doing Ramadan when I was under his orders and I can tell you that he gave us the choice, he respected it. Many Ligue 1 coaches, including Bruno Genesio (Stade Rennes) and Laurent Blanc (Olympique Lyonnais), have supported Galtier.
Some, like Thierry Henry, are waiting for the Nice players to express themselves: “What concerns me is that we don’t hear anything from the other side. Why don’t the people of Nice speak? I still felt people who gave me the impression of wanting to say things. The more the days progressed, the less certainty there was in the discourse. I know there is an investigation, but still, in Nice, there is someone who must be able to speak and tell us more than the three lines of the press release, “said the consultant.
?? Thierry Henry: “Why don’t the people of Nice speak?” The long reaction of our consultant on the Galtier affair. pic.twitter.com/N1i63lkvPC
The reunion between Galtier and OGC Nice had been stormy in the league on Saturday April 8, with a banner from Nice supporters who attacked the coach’s mother directly. The handshake with Didier Digard, current Nice coach, with whom he was already cold when they collaborated, was freezing.
Several of his former players, including Jean-Clair Todibo, had ignored him at the final whistle. In a situation that is still explosive for both clubs, everyone is watching for the next spark at Camp des Loges or on the Côte d’Azur.