Antonetti “blames himself” about Mandjeck

On Saturday evening against Brest, Frédéric Antonetti got into the sort of anger only he knows. Furious against Georges Mandjeck who he thinks was taking needless risks (and particularly a very bad tackle on Nolan Roux which could have resulted in a red card), the Rennes manager had had harsh words against his player, under the scrutiny of the Foot+ cameras. As a result, the scene – and Antonetti’s words – has been largely relayed by the media after the game, surrounded by a lot of incomprehension.

Questioned by Ouest-France in today’s edition, Antonetti regretted his violent words towards his defender. “I made a mistake and I blame myself, he affirmed to the newspaper. I was very angry. And in that kind of situation I struggle to control myself, I get mad. This is 5% of my personality. Itold it to my players this (Monday)morning. I told them all that I regret it. And I told it personally to Georges Mandjeck. On the form, I shouldn’t react like that”.
About the content, however, Antonetti is not changing his mind. In his opinion, the Cameroonese didn’t deserve to finish the game after his performance. “The right decision would have been to take him out without saying anything, without getting angry”, the Rennes manager affirms.

Replaced by Chris Mavinga a few minutes after the incident, Mandjeck had returned directly to the dressing room, before coming back to the substitutes’ bench for the last minutes of the game.