Christophe Galtier, officially still coach of Paris Saint-Germain, has been taken into police custody in the wake of allegations of racism, along with his son. The two have been questioned since 8.45 a.m. on Friday morning, the newspaper “Nice-Matin” reported, among other things. The responsible public prosecutor in Nice confirmed to the AP news agency that both were in custody. In mid-April, the judiciary had initiated preliminary investigations.
The allegations against Galtier, who, according to media reports, has to vacate his post at PSG for former Spanish national coach Luis Enrique anyway, had become public through a leaked email. They are based on an incident when Galtier was still working as a coach for OGC Nice before moving to Paris a year ago.
In the August 2021 mail shortly after Galtier took office, then Nice sporting director Julien Fournier accused the coach of saying that there were too many black and Muslim players in the southern French squad. In a statement released by Galtier’s attorney, the coach said that he was “stunned by the insulting and defamatory” report when the preliminary investigation broke. According to his own statements, he himself had filed a complaint.
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In mid-April, an investigation against Galtier was opened on charges of “discrimination based on race or religious affiliation”. After the allegations were published, the public prosecutor’s office officially launched an investigation. Galtier moved from Nice to the French capital last summer. He had led PSG to the championship, but had failed with his star ensemble in the Champions League at Bayern Munich.
