January 20 – Belgium have dismissed Domenico Tedesco (pictured) as their manager following disappointing results at last summer’s European championship and in the subsequent Nations League. The Belgian FA (RBFA) also fired Yves Serneels, the long-standing manager of the women’s national team.
After months of speculation, the RBFA eventuallysacked Tedesco, who had failed to deliver expected results following the departure of the so-called ‘golden generation’.
In a statement, Peter Willems, CEO of the RBFA, said: “Domenico made an excellent start as national coach and proved that there are still great things possible, even after the send-off of the previous generation. He has integrated a number of young players into the team, and his successor can build on this. We would like to thank him and his team for the pleasant cooperation, their hard work and dedication, and wish them all the best for the future.”
Succeeding Roberto Martinez, Tedesco arrived in 2023 and an impressive win against Germany in a friendly suggested his reign held a lot of promise, but after an easy qualification campaign for Euro 2024, his team imploded at the finals tournament.
Belgium scraped through the group stages before a knockout defeat by France in the round of 16. In a tournament environment, Tedesco’s inexperience showed and the early elimination prompted a crisis at the Belgian FA with boardroom shuffles and several dismissals.
Tedesco said he would use the Nations League as a laboratory, but that attitude became his downfall, a 1-0 defeat against Israel in November condemning Belgium to a playoff against Ukraine to retain their League A status.
In the end, Tedesco won just 12 of his 24 games in charge. He also lost control of the dressing with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois refusing to play for the national team and Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne openly questioning his tactics.
Tedesco, who had a contract until 2026, said: “I was always proud to be the coach of the Red Devils, we achieved great things together. A beautiful journey is now unfortunately coming to an end. I am 100% sure that the team will prevail against Ukraine and also confidently qualify for the World Cup.
“This team is still at the beginning of its development and will cause a sensation in the coming years. I wish the players, the great employees of the federation and the fans all the best from the bottom of my heart.”
The Belgian governing body also parted ways with Serneels, who led the women’s national team for 14 years. He led the team to three consecutive European championships, reaching the last eight for the first time at Euro 2021 in England, but in recent years, the style of play under Serneels had stagnated and Belgium struggled in the qualifiers for Euro 2025.
The RBFA wants a different direction and Willems said Belgium aim to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
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