The branch finally broke. Nearly dead for months, SM Caen “hit rock bottom” this Saturday, November 15 in Bayeux in the Coupe de France. The sad face of his coach Maxime d’Ornano spoke volumes after Malherbiste (3-2)’s defeat in the 7th round with the Regional 1 team, three places lower than its neighbors in Caen.
“I feel embarrassed, angry,” said the technician before leaving the Henry Jeanne stadium in Bayeux with the entire delegation under guard and booed by exasperated fans. If Ivann Botella took the lead first (0-1 23rd), Benjamin Renaux immediately ignited Bayeux. Since then – and often – there has been no more sound or image at the Stade Malherbe.
Coach Bayeux even dared to explain after the match: “for 20 minutes, we were looking for them and they couldn’t get out. And we scored the second goal.” Shortly before halftime, Romain Guillotte took advantage of Caen’s defensive apathy to put his team ahead. And as soon as they returned from the locker room, the same Guillotte launched a counterattack at the end of the school’s counterattack.
Caen was stunned, with one and a half knees on the ground. The header, behind the handle, stands KO. The drop in score was almost an accident amidst nothingness. And Malherbistes would not have achieved much to change the hope of equalization.
“If we had played at Malherbe four or five years ago, we would have taken four years,” Bayeusain Lucas Lefèvre (trained at… SMC) smiled, drunk with joy after the feat. But tonight (SATURDAY), when we equalized, we felt there was still space and when it was 3-1, we knew we would go through.”
“We cheat with football”
This humiliation says a lot about what inspires the current SM Caen, who were relegated this year to the National, stuck in a bad November, between the draw achieved in… the final game of the championship, the moonlight clash between club owner Kylian Mbappé against local idol Orelsan hours of a desperate 0-0 result in front of a disappointed public and a disastrous elimination in Bayeux. Don’t forget to validate the social plan, record the departure of 16 employees.
To forget last spring’s painful relegation, we could have found something better. “It’s natural that the fans are angry,” agreed Maxime d’Ornano, “we laid down our weapons. Tonight was the worst time ever. We cheated in football against a brave opponent. We did not imagine our behavior: we were eliminated in the duel. »
In recent weeks, staff and players can still see the glass half full, even around the club, the sound of this bell is becoming less and less audible. A few games before the ceasefire, SM Caen, National’s big fish on paper, were mired in weakness (currently ranked 10 of 17) and now finds himself thrown from the Cup by someone smaller than him. All with a feeling of helplessness that the coach summed up this Saturday: “In fact, as soon as we scored, we felt weakness.”
Radio silence from management, angry supporters
In the off-season, the club’s management, especially through the voice of Fayza Lamari, mother of Kylian Mbappé, tidied up a lot, attributing some of the difficulties to the previous leaders. But after almost a season and a half at the helm of the red and blue boats, the observation turns to a question: where does Mbappé’s version of SM Caen go? True to form, the management were conspicuous by their silence at Bayeux, allowing their only coach to introduce himself to the press. Who seems to be experiencing lethargy.
Caen supporters have been increasingly critical of recruitment manager Reda Hammache, who is close to Mbappé, who has also been stingy in his public appearances and whose transfer window has left people confused. Not present every day at the club, president Ziad Hammoud, a person trusted by the club owner, is also in the crosshairs and… also silent.
The return to Caen was hot on the heels of being knocked out. The team bus was awaited by a hostile ultras welcoming committee. Police allowed the players to leave. It is in this tense context that Caen will end a poor year in 2025. The reception in Bourg-en-Bresse, Friday 21 November, will be crucial, while SMC have won just one of their last nine National games. Because if Malherbe claims to have reached the lowest point at Bayeux, then the excavation must stop immediately.
