2023-06-09 02:34:14
Régis Le Bris joined FC Lorient in 2012. DAMIEN MEYER / AFP
The leaders of FC Lorient are clearly closing the door to the departure of their coach, Régis Le Bris, courted by OGC Nice. And they get their claws out.
Régis Le Bris courted by Nice? The noise ran. In recent hours, RMC referred to a “accordbetween the coach of Lorient and the Gym, in order to succeed Didier Digard. The Team already almost speaks of him in the past tense, revealing the reasons for the “divorce“. It remained for the Nice leaders to agree with their Breton counterparts about a severance package, knowing that Le Bris was extended last March until 2027. Not so quickly. FCL decision makers do not agree to let go of the man who guided them to 10th place in the L1 standings this season, but then not at all. And this even if the person concerned has indeed asked to leave the Moustoir. “Régis Le Bris discussed with its president the wish to terminate it after eleven years of service at FC Lorient. After consultation with the Board of Directors, the vital forces of the club and the partners, FC Lorient has taken the decision not to release him from his contract.“, we learn in a communiqué published overnight from Thursday to Friday.
That’s not all. Already irritated by the methods of the Riviera club in the winter transfer window, in the Terem Moffi file, “FC Lorient has just reminded OGC Nice in writing of its obligations to respect article 211 of the Administrative Regulations of the LFP. The club also plans to seize the LFP and FIFA to denounce the repeated practices of OGC Nice and to request sanctions against the club.». Ambiance… «They did poorly in January. They reiterate today and had acted in the same way with RC Lens“, squeals President Loïc Féry.
He is a remarkable man. He does a superb job. I understand that he is in demand but he is under contract.
Loic Fery
And Mr. Féry adds: “Régis Le Bris told me, a few days before the last game of the season, that he was wondering about being at the end of a cycle with FC Lorient. He asked me to open the door for a departure, which surprised me deeply. I reminded him that he had just extended and that I was counting on him. He was aware of being under contract with the club and he also knew that if I did not open the door, no departure would be possible. (…) I trusted Régis last year by appointing him to head the professional team, also asking him to commit to our project over the medium term. It was unanimous this year within the club, with partners and supporters. He is a remarkable man. He does a superb job. I understand that he is in demand but he is under contract. My responsibility is to preserve the interests of FC Lorient. The whole FCL institution and I are counting on him. We have not contacted other coaches. We are not open to discuss a transfer“, he assures, while The Team evokes contacts with Julien Stéphan, dismissed by Strasbourg a few months ago.
Last but not least, Loïc Féry clearly displays his ambitions for next season. A message to the supporters, no doubt, but also (and above all?) for Régis Le Bris. “We are ambitious and we are giving ourselves the means to aim even better next season.“, he promises, recalling”the enormous efforts made in January with the arrivals of Jean-Victor Makengo, Bamba Dieng and Romain Faivre“, after the departure of Moffi. “For this summer, apart from Enzo Le Fée who has an exit voucher – and only if we receive an offer that meets our expectations – no manager will be transferred as I promised. We have a nice envelope to strengthen the group, with a budget that will be rising sharply“Says the 49-year-old leader, sure of himself and right in his boots.
The Galtier case law
End of the story ? Not sure. We imagine that the leaders of Nice will not remain to answer. Which Nice leaders had already had to fight to snatch Christophe Galtier from Lille, in 2021, despite the initial refusal of the Mastiffs. With the result that we know. Moreover, keeping a coach who wants to leave is not necessarily advisable… At the club since 2012, Le Bris, 47, finished the season, his first as number 1, with 17 wins, 10 draws and 14 defeats , with 66 goals scored and 60 conceded in all competitions. All with an attractive game, which does not spoil anything. Enough to… seduce the leaders of OGC Nice, apparently.
#Hakes #sanctions