Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry has lashed out at Nice fans for badmouthing the cancer-stricken mother of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Christophe Galtier.
PSG earned a 2-0 win over Nice to return to winning ways in Ligue 1 on Saturday (April 8). During the clash at the Allianz Riviera Stadium, Galtier, who led Nice last season, was whistled by a section of the local fans. The friendly ultras even insulted the 83-year-old mother of the coach, who is recovering from cancer, displaying an offensive banner.
After the game, Galtier lashed out, saying (via GOAL):
“Why did I react like this? Dresses?! You’ve read ?! You listened ?! My mom, she is 83 years old, is coming out of cancer. Final point.
Former France superstar Henry was sympathetic to the manager and criticized Nice fans who disrespected the manager’s mother.
“Everyone receives (insults) in football stadiums. But if you talk like that outside, they scold you. Why is it allowed in?” Henry said on Amazon Prime Video.
“But Galtier knew they were going to whistle it, maybe not that much. But I wasn’t in the Nice dressing room to find out if there’s something deeper. In our time, it was a classic, albeit a serious one. Insults against the mother, it is not normal! This is the last thing I wanted to hear given what is happening at PSG. I feel a lot of empathy for him. It hurts to be insulted, even if you pretend not to have heard.
Galtier did well at Nice in the 2021-22 season, helping them finish fifth and book a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League playoffs. However, it is believed that he fell out with some senior members of the team, which soured his relationship with the club.
Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Donnarumma impressed in PSG’s win over Nice
Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Donnarumma were the two best players on the pitch in PSG’s win over Nice. The Argentine was on top, applying a first-half shot to find the back of the net from a Nuno Mendes cross on 26 minutes. On 76 minutes, Messi fired a perfect corner into the box, which Sergio Ramos finished off with style.
Donnarumma, meanwhile, proved unbeatable under the bar, stopping every shot that came his way. The Italian made seven saves, with five from shots from inside the box. His best save of the night came in the 44th minute, when he kicked out a shot by Nicolás Pepe from very close range.