This Friday, Frédéric Antonetti came to the rescue of Stéphane Dalmat, arrested on the road to Bruz as he was under the influence of alcohol. The managed is persuaded that off the pitch issues won’t affect the performance of his player, included on the starting eleven for Sunday.
Dalmat. The name is systematically pronounced by all journalists present at La Piverdière this Friday morning. Will Stade Rennes suffer with Stéphane Dalmat’s latest off the pitch issues? The man who refused to be labelled as a “bad boy” at the beginning of the season has been caught by the police on Tuesday morning, under the influence of alcohol on the road from Saint-Jacques to Bruz.
Questioned about Dalmat during the weekly press conference, Frédéric Antonetti defended his player: “I’ve always known that sort of situations during my career as a coach. The problem is that football players are under permanent scrutiny from the media. Some more than the others… That sort of things could happen to anyone. I’ve been controlled by the gendarmes before just coming out of a restaurant. I wasn’t boasting. I was lucky to be under the limit… If the police had controlled me a bit earlier. Maybe I would have…”
Dalmat’s case seems a bit more complex than a few glasses too much after a family dinner though. The Rennes midfielder has already been condemned for off the pitch incidents tainted with alcohol. He was even sentenced to a suspended 2 month prison term. “There is the football player, and there is the man. The latter can be fragile sometimes. Professionally, there isn’t much I can reproach Stéphane Dalmat", the manager promises.
Has the 32 years old centre midfielder not lacked professionalism, as he was recovering of an injury? “It’s true, that a player should have an excellent life hygiene”, admitted the Rouge et Noir coach who had decided to include Stéphane Dalmat in his team to start the game against Toulouse on Sunday. “I’ve got no doubts about him. His performance on the pitch won’t be affected by this story. I’ve been in the trade for twenty years and I’ve seen many situations like his. This is not the worse situation I’ve had to deal with. If you only knew what is happening in the national teams sometimes…”
Arrived this summer to bring his experience to the Breton squad, is Stéphane Dalmat not expected to be an example on and off the pitch? “Naturally… In a team, there are always five or six profiles like him to deal with. I don’t feel betrayed. (…) As a family father, a professor or an actor, a player should be an example. Everyone should be, at their own level. Now, the only answer Stéphane must give me is on the pitch. » The club has decided not to sanction the player.
Benjamin Keltz - Le Mensuel de Rennes
- Photo : www.rennes.lemensuel.com
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