November 8 – Former Club Brugge strongman Vincent Mannaert will reportedly be named the new technical director of the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA).
Belgian media report that Mannaert will succeed Frank Vercauteren, who will depart the organisation at the end of the year, a consequence of Belgium’s disappointing Euro 2024.
Earlier this summer, Mannaert (pictured), previously the CEO of Club Brugge, had been mooted as the CEO of the FA, but Peter Willems, previously of OH Leuven and director of sport at the RBFA, landed that role, succeeding Piet Vandendriessche. Some board members had objected to Mannaert given his involvement in ‘Clean Hands’ (the Belgian investigation into match-fixing and corruption) and his conviction for drunk driving.
The Belgian FA has not yet confirmed his arrival. At a news conference on Friday, Belgian manager Domenico Tedesco simply said that he likes “strong personalities”, but refused to be drawn into any further comment.
Belgium will play Italy and Israel in the November window of the Nations League, but the team is almost out of contention to progress to the knockout phase of the competition with four points from four matches.
A second-round exit from Euro 2024 prompted a summer of discontent with senior staff exiting the FA and pressure on Tedesco growing. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne also lashed out at the team after the defeat to France in September, accusing some players of having a lack of drive and commitment.
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