Christophe Galtier almost committed to OM this season. The extra-sporting context pushed him to give up.
Before the arrival of Gennaro Gattuso to take over from a resigning Marcelino – after the brief interim of Pancho Abardonado – OM tried everything to convince Christophe Galtier to return to service last September, barely four months after the end of his collaboration with PSG.
The transition would have been brutal, and not necessarily well received by the supporters of the Marseille club, then already at odds with the Olympian management – and yet the temptation was great for the Marseille native to join the Ciel et Blanc bench. The one who finally opted for the Qatari challenge of Al-Duhail in October, tells…
“ The day I made the decision not to join OM was the most difficult moment of my career », he breathes during a long interview with L’Equipe. “ I didn’t follow my wife’s advice because the timing wasn’t right. I felt deep down that I had no right to unwittingly and unwillingly associate the club with my court date. »
“A great mark of respect for OM”
At the time, Christophe Galtier was preparing his defense after being indicted for alleged discriminatory remarks while he was officiating in Nice. “ The pressure was going to build crescendo and I was going to expend energy on my defense. People must take the fact that I told them no as a great mark of respect for the club and the president Pablo (Longoria, editor’s note). And I know they took it that way. »
Relaxed since then, Christophe Galtier retains a certain bitterness about this affair which could have cost him his career. The Olympian train has in any case passed, and will not a priori return during the next off-season. In search of a coach to take over from Jean-Louis Gasset this summer, OM is targeting in particular Lille’s Pablo Fonseca and Lens’s Franck Haise.
