Secrets of the Christophe Galtier affair: what OGC Nice told the police

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