While Antoine Kombouaré's future on the Nantes bench seemed sealed, a turnaround occurred. Friday evening, a decisive meeting between the Kanak coach and the club's leaders changed the situation. After in-depth discussions, management finally opted for continuity. A surprising decision, confirmed by Kombouaré himself this Saturday evening.
The coach's soap opera FC Nantes finally found its epilogue. After weeks of speculation and negotiations, the Nantes management decided to renew its confidence in Antoine Kombouaré for the 2025 season. At 61, the Kanak technician thus retains the reins of a group that he knows well, despite rumors persistent evoking other avenues.
The about-face of FC Nantes
While the departure by Antoine Kombouaré was practically established, the FC Nantes backtracked. Information revealed by the newspaper The Team before moving the Canaries in Saint-Ouen to face Drancy and confirmed by Kanak in a post-match press conference.
“I didn’t expect anything”
« We were serious, professional. We respected this Drancy team. That was the objective, with the qualification and the manner, even if we can always do better. I liked the work done by the whole group. The main thing is to qualify. There are 4 divisions from each other and we said to ourselves that we had to impose our football, our game. We attacked the opposing team to establish our game. We needed a little – to open the score . We remained very serious. We came with a lot of humility. That's a good thing. We will be able to take advantage of the holidays to come back refreshed and ready for the end of the first legs. I accept the results we have today, I take responsibility for them. I work, I work and I come every day with the idea of helping my players progress, that we win matches and places in the standings. What if I expected to be confirmed? I wasn't expecting anything. I just expected to work every day. As long as no one tells me anything, I'll work. I'm just professional. I don't ask myself any questions. I am concerned about the results and the ranking. How to restore confidence in my players “, declared Antoine Kombouare. The thunderclap is therefore confirmed, the Kanak remains at FC Nantes !
