PSG coach Christophe Galtier and his son, John Valovic-Galtier, were arrested for questioning as part of an investigation into alleged discrimination, according to the Nice prosecutor.
The probe was initiated in April following claims that Galtier made racist and Islamophobic remarks about players during his tenure as coach of Nice in the 2021/22 season.
The prosecutor announced that further details regarding the arrests of the 56-year-old Galtier and his son, who is a player’s agent, would be provided through a statement later on Friday.
The allegations against Galtier initially emerged in the French media back in April. Reports claimed that former Nice sporting director Julien Fournier had written an email at the end of the 2021/22 season, in which he alleged that Galtier had made discriminatory remarks about several members of the Nice squad.
Fournier stated, “He (Galtier) told me that I should take account of the reality of the city and that, in effect, we should not have as many blacks and Muslims in the team. He told me he wanted to profoundly change the team’s make-up and limit the maximum number of Muslims.”
In response to these accusations, Galtier expressed deep shock and vehemently denied the allegations. He initiated a defamation lawsuit and also revealed that he had received death threats targeting two journalists and Fournier.
Galtier guided PSG to their 11th league title last season, but the club’s Qatari owners informed him at the beginning of June that he would be dismissed due to a largely underwhelming season, as they suffered an early exit from the Champions League.
