Ahead of a hearing on Friday 15th December, L’Équipe have revealed what OGC Nice employees told the police in the investigation into alleged comments made by now-former manager Christophe Galtier.
Galtier has been charged by the French authorities with moral harassment and ethnic, racial or religious discrimination, which would entail a three-year prison sentence and a €45,000 fine. The manager, now managing Qatari side Al-Duhail, has repeatedly denied the allegations, which surfaced after a leaked email from former colleague and Nice sporting director Julien Fournier was made public. The transcript of the leaked email can be read here.
L’Équipe have now revealed what some of Galtier’s former colleagues told police during the investigation into the accusations. President Jean-Pierre Rivère was reportedly “vague” with his declarations, reportedly failing to recall the infamous meeting referenced in Fournier’s leaked email, despite the fact that Rivère was in attendance. The president did, however, state that there was a “battle of egos” between Galtier and Fournier.
OGC Nice employee alleges that Galtier had a problem with Algerians
The most damming accounts come from assistant manager Frédéric Gioria, who corroborated two of the stories referenced in the original email. The first is the story of the comments in the restaurant, where Galtier was allegedly told by supporters that the OGC Nice squad did not “reassemble the city.” This comment was reportedly referenced by Galtier in a recruitment meeting where he told Galtier he didn’t want any more “Blacks or Arabs”.
Gioria also alleges to have witnessed the Galtier’s anger at the recruitment at the signing of Billal Brahimi. “Another Muslim. I don’t want him. We have enough,” Galtier allegedly said.
Gioria alleges that Galtier had a particular problem with Algerians, telling police that Galtier had referred to Hicham Bouadoui and Youcef Atal as “yobs” and saying “The worst are the Algerians,” reportedly referencing how Algerians, according to Galtier’s alleged comments, practice Ramadan. “They are too extreme,” Galtier is alleged to have said.
Galtier allegedly didn’t want to sign Islam Slimani due to Ramadan
Hachim Ali Mbaé, an OGC Nice video analyst, also alleges that Galtier made a racist remark during a match against AS Saint-Étienne in 2021. The former Paris Saint-Germain manager reportedly referred to ASSE’s pair of centre-backs, Harold Moukoudi and Mickaël Nadé as “two King Kongs.”
Al Mbaé also told investigators that Galtier was opposed to the idea of signing Islam Slimani, an Algerian international, as he would be practising Ramadan between 1st April and 1st May, whilst he also corroborated accusations that Galtier tried to get Jean-Clair Todibo to not practice Ramadan.
Todibo, a France international is at the centre of some of the allegations. He told police that Galtier pressured him not to practice Ramadan; those claims have been echoed by Hicham Bouadoui, Teddy Boulhendi and Pablo Rosario, however, Khéphren Thuram and Atal have denied witnessing such discrimination.
Fournier himself, the author of the leaked email, gave his account to police, confirming the allegations included in the email. Those allegations included a recruitment meeting in which Galtier allegedly told Fournier that he “didn’t want Blacks or Arabs”.
Galtier ‘determined’ ahead of hearing
The management of the Brahimi situation was one of the major subjects included in Fournier’s email. Galtier is accused of having dropped Brahimi because he practised Ramadan, which Galtier denies. “The Brahimi situation has nothing to do with religion,” Galtier’s entourage told L’Équipe, who highlighted the fact that the Algerian international was left out of the matchday squad before Ramadan.
Amidst the allegations, Galtier has received the support of Antoine Kombouaré and former Lille OSC striker Burak Yilmaz. “I have never felt the slightest negative behaviour regarding my religion,” the Turkish striker said.
Galtier has repeatedly denied the charges and last week, his lawyer told L’Équipe that his client was “determined” ahead of the hearing. “He is waiting for this contradictory public debate to finally end and he will demonstrate that he clearly never discriminated against or harassed anyone,” his lawyers Olivier Martin and Sébastien Schapira told the publication.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
