In April, a probe was initiated after French media released an email from Nice’s former director of football, Julien Fournier, implicating Galtier in discriminatory practices. Fournier’s leaked email accused the coach of making Islamophobic and racially biased remarks against the players in his squad.
In the email, Fournier claimed Galtier expressed concerns about the number of Black and Muslim players on the Nice squad, arguing the squad did not reflect the demographics of the city. Fournier alleged that Galtier sought to drastically alter the team composition, limiting the number of Muslim players.
Further alleged remarks by Galtier reported in the email involved him criticising his team as a ‘team of scum,’ and making sweeping generalisations that ‘only blacks’ were on the squad and ‘half the team go to the mosque on Friday.’
Fournier and Galtier both departed from Nice after a single season, and in a twist of fate, they found themselves at PSG, albeit in different roles.
In response to the allegations, Galtier, through his lawyer, announced in April that he was shocked and appalled by the “insulting and defamatory” report. Firmly denying the allegations, Galtier initiated legal actions, citing intolerable threats and harassment following the revelations.
The 56-year-old PSG coach, who led the club to yet another French league title despite early exits from the Champions League and French Cup, also filed a defamation suit against Fournier and the journalist who made his accusations public.
With a year left on his contract at the Qatari-owned PSG, reports suggest that the club has initiated discussions with Luis Enrique as a potential replacement for Galtier in the wake of these allegations.
However, as of yet, the PSG management has not released an official statement regarding the arrest of Galtier and the subsequent investigations.
