Finally, the main protagonist of the biggest affair in 2023 in France was given time to explain himself. Since his arrest on June 30th on the accusations of discrimination and harassment, Al Duhail’s coach Christophe Galtier, was all over the press, but finally, now, he stood in the courtroom and explained all accusations against him. The prosecutor is asking for a 12-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros against the former Nice and PSG coach. Olunga’s boss: ‘Todibo is a Salafist, the Algerians are the worst’It all started with his clash with sporting director Julien Fournier, with whom he was not on good terms while both men were in Nice, owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’ INEOS. Fournier claimed he knew something big about the coach but didn’t want to say what, and then the journalists revealed an e-mail from Fournier to INEOS brass in which he accused Galtier of being a racist who was moaning about having too many blacks and Muslims in his team. Fournier confirmed that an e-mail was genuine but denied that he leaked it to the press. Nevertheless, it was a first-class sensation in France (and Europe) and after an omission from the players who were apparently targeted by Galtier while in Nice, the coach was held in a police station along with his son before being released and later accused of discrimination and harassment. Former PSG boss claims: “I can’t accept being called a racist”Evidence was collected over months of investigation, and yesterday, Galtier had a chance to reply to all of them. Fournier revealed that one day, Galtier told him that people in a restaurant the night before were telling him that Nice has too many black footballers and Muslims in the team, but the coach testified that he was also surprised by those comments and was just re-telling them to the Nice staff members the next day. He was also accused of forcing Muslim players not to feast during Ramadan, but as Galtier’s lawyers proved, all players who feasted were still in the team. Several players who were interviewed during the investigation spoke of a discriminatory and racist climate while ensuring that they were never direct witnesses or victims.Second win in a row for Lyon! Can Les Gones survive in the top-tier?The next up was the apparent ‘Salafist’ remark given to Todibo by Galtier, but the Nice coach lost his temper and said: “It’s terrible to tell such lies!”. Apparently, Galtier sent an SMS complaining that Todibo came to the club in “traditional dress”, but at the trial, he explained that he was, in fact, angry to see the player arrive late and not in training clothes. The next accusation was that he described two black Saint Etienne players as ‘King-Kong’, to which Galtier replied that he was thinking about their strength, citing that he used the same phase for Nantes defender Nicolas Pallois, a white player. Galtier’s defence also pointed out that the prosecutor called and investigated only players who were mentioned in Fournier’s testimony. Within the club, several other players have indeed given their support to their former coach, as have Muslim players who played under his command in Lille. The trial finished after one day, and a sentence is expected on December 21st. LIGUE 1 – MATCHDAY 16Friday Monaco – Olympique Lyon 0-1 (0-0)/Jeffinho 85/Saturday 19.00: (4.30) Le Havre (3.45) Nice (2.00)23.00: (1.95) Lens (3.60) Reims (4.20)Sunday15.00: (2.70) Nantes (3.25) Brest (2.90)17.00: (2.55) Lorient (3.30) Strasbourg (3.05)17.00: (3.20) Metz (3.40) Montpellier (2.40)17.00: (3.20) Toulouse (3.50) Rennes (2.35)19.05: (1.45) Olympique Marseille (4.40) Clermont (7.50)22.45: (4.10) Lille (3.50) PSG (1.90)***odds are subject to change***
