Frédéric DE SAINT-SERNIN

In December 2006, Emmanuel Cueff stepped down as President of Stade Rennais FC as a result of his eviction from the Artémis Group. To replace him, François Pinault chose Frédéric de Saint-Sernin, former Secretary of State for Town Planning and close colleague of President Chirac. This aspirational CV provoked lots of questions from supporters and media alike. In the end, Saint-Sernin turned out to be a President who defended the interests of the club, whilst establishing the club with a prominent place in the media circles. To achieve that, he instigated the Celtic Music concerts at the ground, supporter-oriented events, attempted to set up a partnership with the Crédit Mutuelle de Bretagne, and became Rennes’ representative at the French Football League. From a sporting perspective, his assessment would have been exceptional, had it not been for the 2 minutes of added time in the 2006/2007 season, or if they hadn’t messed up their French Cup Final against Guingamp in 2009. A few months later, he suffered from heart problems, and decided to withdraw from his daily involvement with the Red and Blacks. In the Summer of 2010, he was replaced by Patrick Le Lay, but not without leaving his own unprecedented stamp on the club. In June 2012, he returned as President, assisted by Jacques Delanoë for the day-to-day running of the club. In May 2014, he left his role as President which was taken on by René Ruello.