Antonetti and the “dark forces”, Episode II

In an interview to French magazine France Football this week, Frédéric Antonetti discussed the declaration he did on December 2nd. Asked about Stéphane Dalmat during the press conference, the Rennes manager had mentioned some “dark forces”, “not internally, but in the club’s first circle”, that “spill oil on the fire” when it comes to the midfielder (read previously).

Antonetti recognizes « he went too far » in his declarations, but justifies his defence of Dalmat. “I have to defend him because I can see one point, he explains. Last year, against the big teams, we lost because our midfield exploded; Now we haven’t lost against OM, Lyon, Bordeaux, PSG, Lille, because we are strong, and because Dalmat is at the heart of our tactics. At midfield, on the one to ones, there is quality and impact”. The Stade Rennes manager is quite satisfied by the echo that his words on the player received. “I leapt in, but not in vain, as everything has gone back in order since then”.

So what about these « dark forces »? Although Antonetti refuses to deliver the names of the persons in cause, the magazine is drawing a profile. According to Patrick Dessault (Ed. : Author of the article), it is a « relative to President Pinault, always ready to have a go at everything and everyone”. Enough to - maybe - corroborate the speculation that it could be a member of the club’s administrative board, a possibility first brought up a few days after the press conference.