OGC Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivère has spoken out for the first time since reports emerged last week of allegations of racism against former Les Aiglons boss Christophe Galtier. The allegations are outlined in an internal email attributed to Nice former Sporting director Julien Fournier, in which he gives an account of several meetings with Galtier to the club’s owners INEOS. Nice released a short statement last week, pointing out to the facts both protagonists no longer work for the club – Fournier left in the summer, and Galtier joined Paris Saint-Germain after the end of last season, and that “this situation was treated with the utmost seriousness at the time of the events. The club will make no further comment.”
The PSG coach has denied the allegations, and indicated that he would be launching legal proceedings against the journalists who first reported on the email and Fournier himself. The latter, meanwhile, has regretted the timing of the leak but did not explicitly contest the existence of the email in question.
Speaking to both L’Equipe and Nice-Matin, Rivère has broken his silence on the case, just before his side took on FC Basel in their Europa Conference League quarter-final return leg. “There is an ongoing investigation. Employees were advised not to talk too much on the subject in order to protect this important fixture.” Rivère also gave an update on the legal proceedings that have been opened, with the club’s headquarters searched by police. “Everyone will have total freedom to express themselves to say what they think. I have already been questioned, I gave all the elements that I considered to be in my possession. Everyone will do the same.” The 65-year-old Nice president indicated that the investigation will be long.
Regarding the internal leaked mail that made headlines last week, Rivère said he had never seen it before. “Julien Fournier said to me one day that he was going to write a mail to INEOS. He did not wish to disclose its content to me, I respect that (…) I only had the parts revealed by Mr [Romain] Molina. I won’t tell you what I heard, what I saw, what I understood or what I didn’t understand.” Rivère said he provided “everything he could” to investigators during his hearing. The 65-year-old executive revealed he plans to meet Galtier and Fournier soon. “It will have to happen, and I will tell both of them what I think.”