Red Star FC manager Habib Beye expressed disappointment and frustration after his team’s 1-4 loss to Concarneau in the Championnat National, France’s third tier, on Friday night at Stade Bauer in the Parisian suburbs. It could be seen as a turning point in the race for promotion to Ligue 2, but the current Canal+ pundit remained optimistic on Red Star’s chances.
“It is difficult to exist against such a team with numerical inferiority,” Beye told Get French Football News sub-editor George Boxall in the post-match conference. “We lacked intensity in everything that we did in the first half. And considering everything we did in that half we couldn’t have hoped for any good outcome.”
Red Star had not one but two players sent off, finishing the game with only nine men on the pitch. Captain Cheick N’Doye was initially given a yellow for a late challenge, before being swiftly and harshly upgraded to a red card on the 26th minute. When Red Star made the game 2-1 thanks to a Hacene Benali penalty, another red card was shown to Jason Tré who made a foul as the last defender, the subsequent free-kick being converted by El-Khoumisti.
Beye also addressed the psychological impact of Concarneau being given two extra points from their previous game against Nancy, due to the home side fielding a suspended player, noting that “announcing that a team comes into the game with two extra points before a match like this impacts the players. I don’t think it was wise on the part of the French Football Federation to announce the decision at that time.”
Despite the setback, Beye remained determined that his team would fight until the end for all the points available. “Those that deserve to be in Ligue 2 will be there at the end of the season,” he said. “Nothing is given to you in life unless you deserve it.”
The Championnat National Table
| Position | Club | Games Played | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martigues | 28 | 12 | 49 |
| 2 | Concarneau | 28 | 16 | 49 |
| 3 | Dunkerque | 28 | 13 | 49 |
| 4 | Red Star FC | 28 | 12 | 45 |
| 5 | FC Versailles | 28 | 6 | 45 |
Red Star now sit in fourth place, four points behind the top three teams who are all on 49 points. Only the top two teams will earn promotion to Ligue 2. “There were seven finals before this match and now there are six,” Beye said. “We will fight right until the end for all the points available.”
Beye encouraged his players to continue training and to believe that they could take all 18 points from the remaining games. “The greatest joy for a player is to play another game,” he said. “Believe me, it changes when you stop playing.”
Red Star will return to training on Monday and will look ahead to playing away to Nancy on the following Friday.
GFFN | George Boxall
Photo Credit: Bazil Fleury – @icietailleurs55 on Instagram.
