Speaking to the press ahead of Saturday’s trip to RC Lens, Stade Rennais coach Habib Beye insisted on denying rumours of tension following the Rouge et Noir‘s 3-0 exit from the Coupe de France at Olympique de Marseille last Tuesday.

Initially involved in a heated exchange with his goalkeeper and captain Brice Samba (31), Beye was later accused of making harsh criticism of Mousa al-Tamari (28). “It’s not a clash, it’s managerial instruction, like there are in every dressing room. From a coach to a player, quite simply,” Beye responded on Friday. Before reiterating: “That’s it, it’s inaccurate. It’s a very simple managerial instruction, quite simply.”

Asserting that his role is to “bring calm, stability and energy” to his team so that they feel “protected” from external events, Beye nevertheless regretted the release of “erroneous” information about his dressing room. “If it comes out and it’s true, I’m happy to hear it, but I always tend to think that real facts should be reported, not made-up ones,” he added.

“That’s what bothers me, because these are very serious newspapers reporting things that are completely untrue. I’m not here to set the truth straight, but we have to protect ourselves from this. And it’s my job to protect my team from that.”

Currently sixth in Ligue 1, Rennes are on a three-match winless streak in the league, with only one goal scored and seven conceded. A win at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis would give the Bretons the opportunity to consolidate their place in the qualifying spots for next season’s European competitions.