During the trial, Galtier said, per Get French Football News: "If I made these comments, they would be racist and discriminatory […] these comments, I didn’t make them."
In response, Martinelli said: "Personally, I find that football is the victim in this file […] the players are the principles, whilst the values of the [French] Republic are also victims. I request that you declare Christophe Galtier guilty."