French club Paris St Germain coach Christophe Galtier has been arrested for questioning along with his son as part of an investigation into alleged discrimination, AFP news agency reported on Friday, citing a French prosecutor.
The arrest is in connection with allegations of discrimination made by Nice’s former sporting director.
Galtier is claimed to have told Julien Fournier, who worked for Nice for over a decade before his departure last year, that he “could not have so many blacks and Muslims in the team” in August 2021.
According to French outlet Le Parisien, he’s being questioned by police over the alleged racist remark made after he took charge of the team that summer. His adopted son John Valovic, who also acts as his adviser, is said to have accompanied him.
Galtier was accused of making the discriminatory comment in an email sent by Fournier to Nice’s owners in May 2022, which was leaked earlier this year, sparking a police investigation.
Both men left the club last summer, with Galtier taking charge of PSG and Fournier going on to join Serie A side Parma – where he lasted just three months as their global sports director.