Eighteen months in prison and a fine of 20,000 euros. Here are the requisitions, this Wednesday, from the Marseille prosecutor’s office against <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/10/football-ligue-1-justice-is-interested-in-the-affairs-of-the-adopted-son-of-christophe-galtier/" title="Football Ligue 1 – Justice is interested in the affairs of the adopted son of Christophe Galtier“>John Valovic-Galtier, adopted son of Christophe Galtier, for fraud and illegal exercise of the profession of players’ agent.
The heaviest sentence demanded by deputy prosecutor Jean-Yves Lourgouilloux against the eight players in French football, including the president of the Toulouse football club Damien Comolli, tried since Monday for having circumvented the law governing the activity of sports agent.
Before the Marseille criminal court, the magistrate also requested heavy financial sanctions by requesting the confiscation of the funds seized during the investigation, up to the amount of the proceeds of the offenses. Concerning John Valovic-Galtier, more than 500,000 euros had been seized from the accounts of two of his companies, Football Avenir then Player Agency, entities created to commit the fraud, according to Jean-Yves Lourgouilloux.
Lack of sports agent license
These companies had been recipients of commissions paid during the transfers of several players and coaches, including those of his father Christophe Galtier and his brother Jordan Galtier. Operations that the prosecutor considered irregular because John Valovic-Galtier, who was officially sports advisor, did not have the sports agent license issued by the French Football Federation.
Mr. Valovic-Galtier had taken part in these transfers on behalf of the Lyon agency Score Agencies, at the time managed by David Venditelli, against whom Mr. Lourgouilloux requested a one-year suspended prison sentence and 100,000 euros in compensation. fine as well as confiscation of the seized funds. The magistrate also demanded a ten-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 30,000 euros against Jérémie Sutter, another sports advisor for Score Agencies.
These three defendants, who before the court confined their role to sports advice or support for footballers, benefited, according to the prosecution, from the assistance of three official agents, in order to make the transfer contracts subject to the FFF approval. “Front agents, nominees to cover companies and real underwater agents,” according to the prosecutor.
20,000 euros required against Damien Comolli, president of the TFC
He thus requested eight months’ suspended prison sentence and a 10,000 euro fine against Alexandre Bonnefond, for his “cover-up” of the transfers made within Score Agencies, six months’ suspended prison sentence and a 5,000 euro fine against Tristan. Sauzon, associate of John Valovic-Galtier at Player Agency, and three months suspended prison sentence and 5,000 euros fine against David Wantier. Against the first two, Mr. Lourgouilloux requested a ban on exercising the activity of sports agent, for one year and six months respectively.
While the defendants’ lawyers must plead for a general acquittal, the Marseille prosecutor’s office considered that the court could abandon the aggravating circumstance of an organized gang initially retained, as well as the money laundering offense charged against John Valovic-Galtier and David Venditelli.
Finally, against the two club managers present on the dock for transfers that they allegedly carried out by unlicensed agents, Mr. Lourgouilloux requested a fine of 20,000 euros against Damien Comolli and 10,000 euros against Emmanuel Desplats , general director of Dijon FCO (National).
