Rennes (AFP)

Julien Stéphan, Stade Rennes coach since December 2018, resigned Monday after another defeat against Nice on Friday (2-1), the club announced.

"This morning, Stade Rennais FC took note of the resignation of its coach Julien Stéphan", said the club in a press release, thanking the technician, spent on the bench of the youth categories of Rennes then of the reserve before taking the reins of the first team, notably winning the Coupe de France 2019.

"The club would like to thank Julien for these nine years spent with the Rouge et Noir and for all the exceptional results he has obtained at the head of the professional team," the statement added.

The club specifies that "Philippe Bizeul, assistant of Julien Stéphan and holder of the BEPF (Brevet of professional football coach), will take over the interim" from the Monday morning session.

Appointed coach of Stade Rennes in December 2018, Julien Stéphan, 40, was the youngest of Ligue 1 coaches.

The Rennes coach has experienced a complicated period in 2020-2021 as his team has been stuck with success since mid-January.

Friday his team, after a new defeat, at home against Nice (1-2) tumbled to 9th place in the Ligue 1 standings.

Son of Guy Stéphan, assistant to the coach of the France team Didier Deschamps, Julien Stéphan was under contract until 2022.

In search of a new European qualification for next season, the Breton club lost its fifth place a week ago to Lens, after having already seriously stalled in the fall, during a first Ligue des Overall disappointing champions (one draw, five losses).

A few days ago, the president Nicolas Holveck and the technical director, Florian Maurice, had indicated that their trainer, under contract until June 2022, was absolutely not threatened.

They had just reminded the entire group of the European ambitions expressed at the start of the season.

With Julien Stéphan, Stade Rennes won the Coupe de France 2019, the club's first trophy for 48 years, and finished in a convincing 3rd place in Ligue 1 in 2020, qualifying for the Champions League.

© 2021 AFP