“I read the news and felt I had to say something” - Burak Yilmaz defends PSG boss Christophe Galtier amid racism and Islamophobia allegations
Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz has publicly supported Christophe Galtier after the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss was accused of making discriminatory remarks towards Muslim players.
The allegations against Galtier came to light when the Frenchman's emails from his time at OGC Nice were reportedly leaked, in which he complained about having 'too many blacks and Muslims' in his team.
A section of the email read:
“He (Christophe Galtier) told me that I had to take into account the 'reality of the city' and that we couldn't have so many blacks and Muslims in the team. He said to me 'Last night, I went to the restaurant and everyone came down on me to say that we have a team of blacks' then added 'Julien, you must realise what city we are in; we're in the city of (former mayor) Jacques Medecin. Our team does not reflect to what people want, just as it does not reflect myself'.”
Yilmaz, who worked with Galtier at LOSC Lille during their championship-winning 2020-2021 season, took to social media to express his support for his former coach.
The 37-year-old stated that he never experienced any negative behavior from Galtier based on his religion or nationality. He added that Galtier was not only a fantastic coach but also a fantastic person who treated him with respect throughout their time together.
Yilmaz took to Instagram and said:
“I read the news today and felt I had to say something. I worked with Galtier and never felt any negative behavior from him because of my religion or nationality. He’s a fantastic coach as well as a fantastic person.”
Christophe Galtier 'astounded' by racism accusations as PSG launch internal investigation: Reports
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Christophe Galtier was left "astounded" by allegations of racist remarks, according to a Le Parisien report.
Galtier's legal counsel has vehemently denied the accusations on his client's behalf in a statement to AFP. Expressing shock, the lawyer reiterated the manager's innocence (via GFFN), claiming that he "found out about the insulting and libelous remarks with astonishment.”
Those close to the PSG manager have described his reaction to the accusations as "astounded" and "stunned," upon learning of them on Tuesday (April 11).
Meanwhile, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is reportedly set to launch an internal investigation following the racist accusations leveled against Galtier. The Frenchman's future at the club is now in doubt, with the email leaks being the latest setback in the 56-year-old's Paris tenure.