Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace and Frédéric split ways by mutual agreement. The 61-year-old Corsican coach, who took up his post on 13 February with his assistant Benoît Tavenot, managed 15 league matches (6 wins, 4 draws, 5 defeats) and took 22 points to help Racing stay in Ligue 1.
“Frédéric had a job to do and he did it perfectly,” said Strasbourg chairman Marc Keller. “It’s been a tough season and we’ve given ourselves some time to breathe. He’s done a great job and I’d like to thank him. We moved forward hand in hand, in a relationship of mutual trust and esteem. I have a lot of respect for Fred.
We’ve known each other for years, but we’d never had the opportunity to work together, and I was very impressed by his ability to get everyone back together, restore confidence and recreate a dynamic in a delicate period.
But a new cycle is starting and I’m convinced that it’s better to end on this good note. We both agree on that. So, I took the decision and informed the new shareholder, who endorsed it.“
“I arrived at Strasbourg last February to take up the challenge of keeping the club in Ligue 1,” said Frédéric Antonetti. “It was an arduous task, but I firmly believed in the ability of this team and this club to pull through. With a lot of hard work, patience and self-sacrifice, everyone at RC Strasbourg Alsace has been able to achieve this goal.
As I’ve often said, I’m delighted to have been able to coach a club like this. I’ve shared some wonderful moments with an exemplary and passionate public who have always supported us in victory and defeat alike. For that, I would like to thank everyone who supported us unconditionally, because without them, we would not have succeeded.
A new era is dawning with the arrival of new investors who will provide the club with new resources. I wish them every success in this League 1, which is undergoing profound changes. The people of Strasbourg deserve it.
I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Marc Keller, for whom I have the highest regard, for the four months we have spent together. I would also like to thank his co-shareholders, in particular Pierre Schmidt and Christian Rothacker, as well as the members of the club, the staff and the players. I leave with the feeling that I have contributed to the long-term future of this prestigious club, something of which I am very proud!“
