Christophe Galtier, the coach of Paris Saint-Germain, has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of prejudice during his tenure in command at Nice.
The 56-year-old, who is expected to leave PSG this summer, spent a year with Nice before moving to the Parc des Princes last year.
According to RMC Sport, Galtier and his adopted son John Valovic-Galtier, who also works as his advisor, were arrested around 8:45 a.m. on Friday as part of an inquiry into alleged prejudice in Nice.
Investigators looking into allegations of racism at the Ligue 1 team were claimed to have summoned the father and son.
According to the French newspaper L’Equipe, the pair are being accused of racism by ex-Nice sporting director Julien Fournier.
According to their assessment, Galtier is accused of making ‘discriminatory, racist, and Islamaphobic remarks’ during his year at the club by Fournier. Last month, he is also believed to have testified in court.
Galtier is said to have always strongly refuted such allegations and even filed a complaint.
Investigators are thought to have previously interviewed a number of Nice players and coaches, as well as president Jean-Pierre Rivere and reserve manager Didier Digard.
In April, a hacked email published by French football reporter Romain Molina said Galtier made comments about having ‘too many black and Muslim players’ in his former squad by Fournier.
Another story by the local French media outlet Nice-Matin alleged that the coach instructed Nice’s Muslim players not to observe Ramadan during a five-game winning streak.
They further stated that some of the players asked by Galtier accepted, while Hicham Boudaoui and Jean-Clair Todibo declined.
However, in a press release provided to AFP, Galtier’s lawyer Olivier Martin stated that the PSG president ‘contests with the greatest firmness’ the charges, adding that he ‘learned with amazement of the offensive and defamatory remarks’ reported in Fournier’s email.
According to reports, Christophe Galtier is poised to quit PSG in the coming days, with former Barcelona and Spain manager Luis Enrique set to take his place.
According to Le Parisien, Enrique will sign a two-year contract ahead of a pivotal year in the club’s contemporary history.
