"I’m not in the habit of kicking a man when he’s down" - PSG boss Christophe Galtier addresses rift between Noel le Graet and Zinedine Zidane 

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Christophe Galtier has refused to hit out at FFF president Noël Le Graët. The Frenchman has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons after his comments on Zinedine Zidane.

Le Graët claimed that he 'did not give a toss' if Zidane became Brazil manager and would not pick up his call if he rang him up for the France job. He told RMC Sport:

"Did Zidane tried to reach me? Certainly not, I wouldn't even have picked up the phone anyway. I've never met him, we never considered parting with Didier."

This brought widespread criticism from the footballing world towards Le Graët, who has since apologized for his comments.

Galtier was quizzed about the comments in his press conference and the PSG manager said he would not be hitting out at the FFF president.

He said:

"Zidane deserves respect and I am convinced he has the respect of everyone. I'm not in the habit of kicking a man when he's down so I won't comment further."

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PSG remain silent but Real Madrid lash out at FFF president

Real Madrid were furious after the comments by Le Graët on Zidane were posted by RMC Sport and released a strong statement lashing out at the FFF president.

Their statement read:

"Real Madrid C. F. laments the unfortunate comments made by the president of the French Football Federation, Nöel Le Graët, regarding Zinedine Zidane, one of the world's biggest sporting legends."

The statement continued:

"These remarks show a lack of respect for one of the most admired figures by football fans around the world and our club is awaiting an immediate correction. Zinedine Zidane, World and European champion representing his country, amongst many other honours, he embodies the values of the sport and has proven this throughout his professional career as a player and as a coach."

Real Madrid also defended Le Graët's previous comments on Karim Benzema, as their statement read:

"The statements by the president of the French Football Federation are inappropriate for someone holding such representation and are in themselves unsuitable, like those he also made about our captain Karim Benzema, current Ballon d'Or, Nations League champion with France in 2021 and winner of 5 Champions Leagues, amongst many other honours."

PSG forward Kylian Mbappe was also furious with the comments and called for more respect for legends like Zidane.