Christophe Galtier, the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), was detained along with his son for questioning over accusations of discrimination, AFP reported on Friday.
This follows an investigation that began in April after allegations that Galtier had made racially insensitive and Islamophobic comments about his players during his time as a coach at Nice during the 2021/22 season.
Further details regarding the arrests of Galtier, 56, and his son, John Valovic-Galtier, who works as a player’s agent, will be released via a statement later on Friday, as per the prosecutor.
Despite leading PSG to their 11th league title in the previous season, Galtier was informed in early June that he would be let go by the club’s Qatari owners following a disappointing season marked by 10 losses in 2023 and an early exit from the Champions League at the last 16 stage, which was a significant setback as it was the team’s main goal.
The allegations against Galtier first emerged in the French press in April. These claims suggest that Julien Fournier, the former sporting director at Nice, had sent an email at the end of the 2021/22 season accusing Galtier of making discriminatory comments towards several Nice team members.
Fournier claimed that Galtier suggested that the team should reflect the demographics of the city, implying that there should be fewer Black and Muslim players on the squad.
He reportedly told Fournier of his intention to significantly transform the team’s composition and reduce the number of Muslim players.
On his part, Galtier expressed deep shock at these allegations and emphatically denied them. In response, he initiated a defamation lawsuit, claiming to have received death threats from two journalists and Fournier.
