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Domenico Tedesco is the new head coach of Belgium’s national team, with the goal of rebuilding the Red Devils following their World Cup defeat.
The 37-year-old German-Italian, who formerly managed Schalke, Spartak Moscow, and Leipzig, has signed a contract with the Belgian federation until until the European Championship in Germany next year.
“It is an honor for me to be the next head coach of Belgium,” Tedesco remarked. I’m looking forward to the task and am quite eager. I got a pretty pleasant feeling straight from the start.
Domenico Tedesco succeeds Roberto Martinez, who led Belgium to third place in the 2018 World Cup after leading the squad for six years. Martinez resigned after the Red Devils failed to advance to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
During Martinez’s leadership, the squad was ranked first by FIFA for four years but never won a major event.
Martinez’s departure coincided with the anticipated disintegration of Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation,” which included exceptional offensive players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, and Dries Mertens.
Tedesco’s “top-level international experience” as well as his “offensive style of football with plenty of forward pressure” were lauded by the Belgian federation.
Domenico Tedesco: More about the news
“His objective is to qualify the Belgian Red Devils for the 2024 European Championship in Germany,” according to the federation.
Belgium begins its qualifying campaign against Sweden on March 24.
In addition, the Belgian federation named former international player Frank Vercauteren, who previously served as temporary coach, as its new sports director.
“Belgium has also been lucky to have a vast pool of talent available for numerous years, but we must never rest on our laurels,” Vercauteren remarked. “It is our responsibility to prepare for the future. It is not enough to be strong on paper; we must also translate our talents onto the field, and this applies to all of our national teams. This must be our goal.”
