For Domenico Tedesco, after a good two years as national coach in Belgium, it’s over.
The football association’s sports committee “decided to end the cooperation after a comprehensive evaluation,” the KBVB announced on Friday. Like his compatriot Domenico Tedesco, Andreas Hinkel also has to go; the former German international had worked as an assistant coach for the Red Devils.
The Belgians fell short of their potential at the European Championships in Germany last year; after only one win during the tournament, the former world number one failed in the round of 16 against France (0-1).
In the Nations League, the Tedesco team only took third place and has to play in the play-offs against Ukraine (March 20th and 23rd) in the fight against relegation from the top class.
Weak international year 2024
“A beautiful story has unfortunately come to an end. I am 100 percent sure that the team will win against Ukraine and qualify for the World Cup without any problems,” said Tedesco (39). The team is “still in the early stages of its development and will continue to cause a stir in the coming years.”
Belgium had won just four of 14 games in 2024 – against Montenegro, Luxembourg, Romania and Israel. A balance that probably also made the association’s leadership ponder.
“He has integrated many young players into the team, and his successor can build on that,” said KBVB managing director Peter Willems and thanked Tedesco for “the pleasant cooperation, the high level of commitment and the great commitment.”