Bruno Genesio cools tempers before Lyon visit in Coupe de France | OneFootball

Bruno Genesio has toned down the fallout from Lille’s 0-2 defeat by Rennes, while standing by his view of the key decision. His side host his formative club Lyon in the Coupe de France last 32 on Sunday at 21:00.

According to L'Équipe, he delayed his pre-match press conference by a day because of flu, having skipped media duties after the Rennes game. He apologised, saying he was not in the right state to speak lucidly and objectively and wished to avoid making his situation worse.

The coach remains struck by images of Nabil Bentaleb restraining him at half-time as he ran towards referee Éric Wattellier after Alexsandro’s 13th-minute dismissal. He accepted that emotions can run away and that he sometimes oversteps.

It was not the first time. Two years earlier, after being struck by the ball by Tanguy Coulibaly at La Mosson, he chased the Montpellier player in a Benny Hill Show-style scene. A scuffle followed, ending with the expulsions of the Montpelliérain and Mitchel Bakker in Montpellier-Lille, 2-2, on 1 December 2024. He says he is working on it, though age makes change difficult.

Clément Grenier, who played under Genesio at Lyon from 2005 to 2017 and is now a Canal+ pundit, said the coach is not a touchline moaner but a fierce competitor. He feels Genesio struggles with perceived injustice, especially when it turns a match against a side playing well.

Genesio maintains Wattellier could have taken more time with VAR before showing red, and insists he is not anti-referee. Grenier calls him sincere and natural, and he remains firm in his convictions.

Source: L'Équipe