How can Habib Beye still be on the Rennes bench after five games without a victory? The question has tormented observers for weeks. Last Monday, summoned by President Arnaud Pouille after the defeat against Nice (1-2), the Senegalese technician had even started to say goodbye, convinced that his Breton adventure was coming to an end. He put his things away, shook hands, acted out the farewell scene. And yet, he is still there.
Rennes: the scandal of maintaining Beye finally revealed
The answer is in one sentence: Rennes has no one else on hand. As simple as that. If Beye stays, it is not because management has regained confidence in him, but because no succession has been organized. Philippe Clément, long favorite to replace him, is free but no concrete negotiations have been finalized.
This lack of plan B reveals major dysfunctions in the organization of the club. A coach maintained by default, a circumstantial measure which testifies to a worrying improvisation. Beye was not saved by his results, but by the inability of his leaders to anticipate.
The cost of departure, an additional obstacle
Beyond the lack of alternative, there is also the financial question. Beye’s contract, automatically extended until June 2026, guarantees him around 1.08 million euros annually. A dismissal would cost nearly 1.8 million euros in compensation, to which the salary of the replacement and his staff would have to be added.
Certainly, with a budget of 120 million euros, Rennes can afford it. But the memory of the dismissal of Julien Stéphan in November 2024, which cost the club more than 3.6 million, remains in the memories. No one wants to relive this hemorrhage.
A rumbling locker room
The problem doesn’t end there. According to several sources, a clan was formed around Brice Samba and Seko Fofana, two influential executives who would not hide their reservations about Beye’s abilities. Giving in to this pressure would amount to weakening the authority of leaders.
Sunday against Strasbourg, Beye will play big. If Rennes makes another misstep, even the absence of an alternative will no longer be enough. In the meantime, the technician is navigating in icy waters, aware that his survival is more an organizational impasse than a real newfound confidence.
