Stéphane Ruffier dismissed by the Greens: return to "a real mess"

In Forez, there are only losers.

Saint-Etienne is dragging itself to 16th place in the standings with one of the worst defenses in the championship (35 goals conceded).

And his former player, Stéphane Ruffier, long considered one of the best goalkeepers in L1, has been moping in his house on the outskirts of the city since his dismissal on January 4.

Disgusted, he decided to end his career to become an educator, from the start of September 2021, at… Aviron Bayonnais, his training club, which is playing in N3.

While he was flexible in his displays, Ruffier, outside the lawns, displayed an extremely rigid character.

His mute personality did not encourage a dialogue with Claude Puel, the Saint-Etienne coach either.

“He was a lunar type, not unpleasant but strange, remembers a former international who rubbed shoulders with him in Blue.

The guy who shouldn't be disturbed because you feel he can stick a quick one on you ”.

And his close entourage has not necessarily helped him to show a minimum of roundness to ease the tensions in Saint-Etienne in recent months.

The fire ignites and will never go out

Officially, the clash was born before a match against Reims on February 23, 2020. Unhappy with his performance in the kicking game, Puel summons Ruffier to his office to tell him that he is putting him to rest for a match.

Furious, the player, without waiting for the coach's explanations, slams the door and contacts his agent Patrick Glanz.

The latter, instead of calling for calm, publicly spreads the theme "Puel attacks a legend of the club and wants to destroy my player".

Ruffier refuses to dissociate himself from these remarks.

The fire ignites and will never go out.

If Puel attacked Ruffier, at the club since 2011, it is because when he landed at ASSE, he noticed that his goalkeeper, a legacy of the Jean-Louis Gasset era, was training as he did. wished without being accountable to anyone.

A few days later, while Ruffier, during training, cleared a ball from a long candle, Puel asked him not to do it again.

Ruffier responded with an insult.

After being sidelined against Reims, Ruffier announces that he refuses to be number 2 behind Jessy Moulin, whom he considers to be less good.

Puel the fate of the group.

Despite attempts at reconciliation by President Roland Romeyer who sees his biggest salary

(Editor's note: 2.8 million euros per year)

no longer playing, Ruffier refuses to apologize.

In the off-season, he rejects all transfer offers.

The quarrel could only lead to a dismissal that Ruffier will contest, with great chances of success, before the Prud'hommes.

Find your native Basque country

At 34, when he could have played for a long time, he decided to leave the professional world to find his native Basque Country.

"He sometimes came to see us when he was on vacation," recalls Jean-Pierre Mainard, the Bayonne president.

It was done in a few days.

He came and said to me:

I want to start a guardian academy

.

In the process, he took a manager's license.

We still feel that his break with ASSE is painful.

He has an immense desire to pass on to the young goalkeepers of the club.

Even if he is not very expansive, he is sincere in his approach.

"

Ruffier, who could soon speak to discuss the reasons for his divorce from Saint-Etienne, has already met the doormen of the Basque club.

"He is very nice and immediately gave us his phone number," explains Cyril Fogacci, the first team goalkeeper.

I had the image of him as a rather closed and harsh guy, and it's quite the opposite.

"

Morning essentials newsletter

A tour of the news to start the day

Subscribe to the newsletterAll newsletters

Warned of this testimony, a member of AS Saint-Etienne admits to being disappointed.

“It took so little from Stéphane for everything to work out.

Puel didn't hate him, contrary to what he put in his head.

This story is a real mess.

"