Ligue 1, Caen 0 - 2 Stade Rennais. As in the Coupe de France, the Rennais didn’t miss their first match of 2012 in Ligue 1: the objective to finally win in Normandy has been fulfiled. Hesitant at the beginning of the match, the Rennais showed themselves more determined for most of the game.
Ligue 1, Auxerre 0 - 1 Stade Rennes. By winning in Auxerre, Stade Rennes continues to cling to the leaders of Ligue 1, according to Frédéric Antonetti, before another test on the road next Sunday in Toulouse.
The qualification round for the 2010 African Nations Cup ended on Sunday. Verdict? Next January, Stade Rennes should miss Youssouf Hadji, Kader Mangane and Jonathan Pitroipa, and possibly even John Boye and Fantamady Diarra. However, Frédéric Antonetti will be able to count on players whose selections have been eliminated.
Ligue 1, Lille 2 - 0 Stade Rennes. By choosing an unusual tactical disposition and making youngster Dimitri Foulquier start the match on the right side of the defence, Frédéric Antonetti tried to innovate against the defendingFrance champion, Lille. But this gamble didn’t pay off and the Rennes’ coach had to change his plans completely during half-time.
One of the hot favourites of the Europa League, Atlético Madrid arrives this Thursday in Rennes with ambition and great attacking strength. Is Stade Rennes, affected by injuries and anaccumulation of matches, able to rival in an important game for the qualification?
Europa League, Stade Rennes – Red Star Belgrade, Thursday 18h30. Rested for the match against Montpellier, Stéphane Dalmat and Vincent Pajot come back in the group for the qualification match against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday evening. On the other hand, Abdoul Camara and Tongo Doumbia are left out of the squad.
Trained in AS Saint-Étienne, Jean-Luc Ribar becomes professional when « Les Verts » suffers from the consequences of the « black cashbox » case. However, the relegation of ASSE in second division is for him the occasion to obtain more play time. He become quickly a pillar of the team in midfield and contributes to the accession in D1. In 1987, he finally leaves Saint- Étienne for Lille, but his adventure is quite short, since one year later, he moves for Brittany and signs for Quimper, which plays in D2. There, again, he only stays one year in Finistère and is recruited by a more ambitious club: Stade Rennes. The team managed by Raymond Keruzoré is trying to access to D1 and will achieve this with Ribar as a regular player in midfield. He becomes irremovable in Rennes’ organization and stays there during the two years in D1 (1990-1991 and 1991-1992) and the two next years in D2. After the accession of the club in D1 in 1994, he unfortunately has to stop his career because of a major injury. For his reconversion, he manages a sport shop, first in Rennes and then in Roanne, his birth place, before finally managing a cleaning firm.
Born in Guyana, Bernard Lama turned professional in Lille. A Very agile goalkeeper, he took his time before standing out with the professionals, but he finally came to light with Paris Saint-Germain. He then becomes the goalkeeper of “Les Bleus” and won many titles with the national team, especially the titles of World and European champion. In summer 2000, as he was nearing the end of his career, he was recruited by Stade Rennes, where he was reunited with his former team mate Paul Le Guen, now the coach of the Breton team. In the Rennes’ goal, he immediately brought all his experience, but the content of the season was disturbed by off-pitch issues. Lama was in conflict with Rennes’ management when they decided to dismiss Le Guen. Lama logically left the club at the end of his contract, in summer 2001 and retired from the pitches. Since, the former goalkeeper has remained in the footballing world. In 2006, he was named as the national coach of Kenya for a very short period.
Laurent Pokou is one of the best, maybe even the best player who ever played for Stade Rennes. He started his career in his country, Ivory Coast, with ASEC Abidjan and then USFRAN Bouaké. Back to ASEC, he built up a national reputation by winning many titles, and an international reputation with the “Elephants”. The Best scorer of the 1968 and 1970 ACNs, he scored fourteen goals during these two editions, a record that stood for nearly forty years. In 1972, he took part to a « Mini World Cup » in Brazil, where he was showered with praise by Pelé. Logically courted by prestigious French clubs, Pokou left Ivory Coast in December 1973, only. Already 27 years old, he signed with Stade Rennes, thanks to an intervention of François Pinault and his network of acquaintances. The Breton public immediately fell in love with this disconcerting striker, capable of improbable exploits. The team revived thanks to this reinforcement: moribund in D1 until then, Rennes avoided relegation a first time. However, despite Pokou’s contribution (15 goals in 1974-1975), Rennes couldn’t avoid the drop to D2 next year. Encouraged to leave Rennes by the Ivorian press, Laurent Pokou finally decided to stay. The beginning of his season was astonishing, with seventeen goals scored in eleven matches. Unfortunately, during a game at Châteauroux, his season was stopped prematurely, because of a major knee injury. Pokou would not play again for seventeen months. Victim of serious financial troubles, and once again relegated in 1977, Stade Rennes had to let go its Ivorian pearl. Pokou was transferred to Nancy, where he played alongside a young Michel Platini. The forward would never achieve to play at his best, because of a virus. In September 1978, he decided to come back to Brittany, in the « club of his life », Stade Rennes. This come back only lasted few months, unfortunately. At the end of December 1978, he shoved a referee during a French Cup match at Saint-Pol-de-Léon, and received a two-year ban (a sentence reduced to six months after appeal). Sickened, he came back to Ivory Coast, where he ended his career with ASEC Abidjan. He then started a short coaching career, invested on textile industry, and then managed a few clubs. He then became part of the Ivorian federation and an ambassador for the FIFA.
François Omam-Biyik is considered as one the best Cameroonian football players ever. After his professional start with Canon de Yaoundé, he came to France and Stade Lavallois in 1987. He managed three good seasons there, before realising an outstanding 1990 World Cup, where he scored the first goal against Argentina. Recruited by Stade Rennes before the competition, he made an excellent start by scoring the two victorious goals against PSG, including a lovely header (2-1). Excellent in the air, he carried on the tradition of great African strikers in Rennes, initiated, among others, by Laurent Pokou. In a Rennes’ team in difficult position, he realized an excellent 1990-1991 season, with 14 goals, mainly scored at home. His career continued in Cannes, briefly in Marseille, and mainly at RC Lens, where he stayed for three years. After an experience in Mexico, he briefly played in Italy and ended his career in Châteauroux. Taking responsibilities at the Cameroonian federation, he became the assistant to the national coach in August 2010.