Domenico Tedesco sacked as Belgian national coach

After two years

German national coach fired abroad


Updated on January 17, 2025 – 2:03 p.mReading time: 2 minutes

Domenico TedescoEnlarge the image

Domenico Tedesco is no longer coach of the Belgian national team. (Source: Tom Weller/dpa/dpa-bilder)

There have been rumors in the past few days, now it’s official. After almost two years and the recent lack of success, the ex-Schalke player has lost his job.

Belgium has parted ways with national coach Domenico Tedesco. The German-Italian took over in February 2023 and was initially able to start a successful series. Among other things, he and Belgium defeated the German national team in Cologne. But as a result, the performances of the “Red Devils”, as the selection is also called, became more inconsistent. Belgium was one of the biggest disappointments at the 2024 European Championship and was eliminated in the round of 16.

After weeks of discussions and media criticism, the association has now taken action. “Domenico made an excellent start as national coach and proved that great things are possible even after this special generation. He has integrated a number of young players into the team, and his successor can build on that,” said association boss Peter Willems. It continued: “We thank you, Domenico, for your commitment and passion over the last two years.”

But Tedesco didn’t have a good relationship with all the players. The public dispute with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois led to the world-class keeper refusing any nominations as long as the 39-year-old is in office. With the separation from Tedesco, Courtois is now facing a possible return.

Tedesco himself thanked him for the opportunity, but also regretted his departure. “A great story unfortunately ends. (…) This team is still at the beginning of its development and will cause a sensation in the next few years,” said the former coach of Schalke 04 and RB Leipzig.

His assistants such as ex-national player Andreas Hinkel also have to go. The search for a successor is ongoing, the next international matches will take place at the end of March, when World Cup qualification begins. By then the search should be over.

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