And with a four-sentence communiqué, Habib Beye’s time in charge of Stade Rennais was brought to a close on Monday morning. Rennes message confirming that they would be relieving the head coach of his duties was short and lacking in any of the usual warmth or well-wishes that accompany dismissals, as they moved to clear house, removing Beye and his myriad assistants. 

Beye’s tenure had just passed its one-year anniversary on the 30th of January, and yet in that time, he had already once before come narrowly close to losing his job. When a poor run of results back in October saw Beye step onto the hangman’s block, with Rennes unable to secure a victory in six games (five draws and one defeat). One outlet even reported prematurely that he had been sacked. 

Instead, he would delay his fate. Results picked up, and he led Rennes to six wins from their remaining seven games to close out 2025. The only game they didn’t pick up a result from was a defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The feeling around the club as they entered the winter break was that this was a team ready to return to its place in French football as a European challenger. 

Rennes- A Stuttering European Challenger 

Victories over Lille OSC and amateur side US Chantilly seemed to carry the momentum into the new year, but Rennes’s would soon after flatline. A draw with Le Havre AC would be followed by defeats to FC Lorient, AS Monaco, Olympique de Marseille in the Coupe de France, and finally over the weekend to ten-man RC Lens. 

Beye would say in the wake of the defeat on Saturday to Lens, “I’m very aware of what needs to be done, in terms of work and commitment, to get the club out of this slump… I want to show that my passion and desire remain intact despite the difficulties.” Even after losing to Lens, Rennes were still sixth in the table and in contention for the European places, but something had finally snapped. 

As L’Équipe reported in the Coupe de France elimination to Marseille, tensions arose between Beye and senior members of his squad, including Musa Al-Tamari and club vice captain Brice Samba. Samba was then not included in the matchday squad for the next game against Lens. Instead, Beye handed 20-year-old Mathys Silistrie his league debut.

Rennes’ Patience with Habib Beye Worn Thin

Beye said of his decision, “When we decided that Mathys is the no. 2, it’s normal that he plays.” Only the situation wasn’t normal. Silistrie was jetisoned into a high-stakes game against one of the league’s best sides, when he had only been trusted in one previous match, the victory in December over amateur club Les Sables Vendée. So no, it wasn’t normal. But it was certainly part of a repeated pattern of behaviour from Beye. 

The former Red Star head coach had shown a heavy hand when it came to man-management and dealing with conflict. He was quick to exclude players from the squad when he felt their commitment wasn’t good enough, like in October, when he dropped Ludovic Blas and Seko Fofana. The latter of which was allowed to leave on loan in winter, while Blas has been unable to reearn his starting spot in the team. 

And while Beye was allowed to drop Samba in a brazen act of cutting off his nose to spite his face, Rennes’ trust in their head coach had finally run out. Bad results and terrible man-management proved to be too risky a combination for a club that is still within the race for Europe. 

This week’s Ligue 1 Sub-Plots

• With Beye exiting the building, Franck Haise looks as if he will be next in line for the Rennes hot seat. The former Lens head coach has been out of work since he left OGC Nice in December by mutual consent. Read the full story HERE. 

• Marseille had dared to dream at the start of the season that they could challenge PSG. However, on Sunday night, they were reminded of the gulf that still separates the two sides. It was utter humiliation for Roberto de Zerbi’s men as they were spanked 5-0 by their eternal rivals. Read all about it HERE.

• After a bright start to management in France, Gary O’Neil has faced two setbacks in rapid succession as his RC Strasbourg Alsace have fallen to two consecutive league defeats. A loss to PSG last weekend was followed by a shock 2-1 defeat to Le Havre AC on Sunday, as Ligue 1’s oldest club schooled its youngest squad. Read how it happened HERE.