Antoine Kombouare gives instructions to his players during the French Cup final soccer match between Nice and Nantes at the Stade de France stadium, in Saint Denis | Image:
AP Photo
Those were some of the sarcastic accusations of laziness aimed at Nantes players by their own fans at home when they warmed up before last Sunday’s Ligue 1 game against Le Havre.
Near the end of the match one angry supporters group — the main ultras group called Brigade Loire — had enough and attempted a pitch invasion at Stade de la Beaujoire. Many wore balaclavas and tried to barge through metal barriers before being pushed back by riot police.
The game was eventually completed and the 2-0 defeat left Nantes — one of France’s most decorated clubs with eight league titles, four French Cups and one Champions League semifinal — languishing in 16th place .
These are gloomy times at Nantes and things are not set to get any easier, with a trip to league leader Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.
The Brigade Loire are banned from attending the game at Parc des Princes, but the pressure on Nantes remains the same.
“I feel for the supporters. We’re not playing well at the moment and we can’t be satisfied with how things are going,” Nantes coach Antoine Kombouaré said. “The crowd can sing what they like (about us). We understand their disappointment, we must shut our mouths and get on with it.”
However, Kombouaré drew the line at pitch invasions.
“You can insult us, jeer us, but you can’t come on the pitch,” he said. “Violence is forbidden. It’s not normal to come to the stadium with a balaclava on. What’s that all about?”
Kombouaré and some of the squad have been here before.
Kombouaré was hailed as a saviour after preventing Nantes from relegation in 2021. Fans turned on the team at heated training sessions and wanted president Waldemir Kita to go. Two coaches were fired that season before Kombouaré stepped in.
It went down to the wire. Nantes edged a tense promotion-relegation battle against Toulouse on away goals. May 30, 2021, was a scary day for Nantes fans, with Toulouse one goal away from sending Nantes down.
The following season Kombouaré completely turned fortunes around, with the club finishing ninth and winning the French Cup to qualify for the Europa League.
So, no matter how despondent Nantes fans are feeling now, there is hope while Kombouaré is still around.
Especially since his attachment to the club runs deep.
Kombouaré was there when the Beaujoire stadium opened in 1984 and played 177 games as a rugged defender for Nantes, which is nicknamed “Les Canaris” (The Canaries) because of its distinctive all-yellow strip.
The club’s glory era saw it reach the 1996 semifinals of the Champions League, edged 4-3 by eventual champion Juventus over two legs.
Things are completely different now.
Nantes narrowly avoided relegation by one point in 2023, finishing 16th, and last season was 14th out of 18 teams.
This season already feels like déjà vu.
“We’re in a critical situation but it’s not insurmountable,” the 61-year-old Kombouaré said ahead of the trip to PSG, another club where he both played and coached.
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