BRUSSELS :Belgium have fired coach Domenico Tedesco after a series of disappointing results in recent months, the Belgian football association said on Friday.
The decision had been widely anticipated for weeks, especially after Tedesco failed to show up for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers draw in December, but only formalised after a meeting of the Belgian football association on Friday, a statement said.
Tedesco, who was under contract until 2026, departs after Belgium limped out of last year’s European Championship in the last 16 and then finished third in their Nations League group in the second half of 2024, winning one of six matches.
His position became untenable after Belgium lost to Israel in a neutral venue in Hungary in their last Nations League game in November.
Tedesco’s tenure started brightly without defeat in his first 13 matches in charge after taking over from Roberto Martinez following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
But by then he had already had a row with Thibaut Courtois, which saw the Real Madrid goalkeeper refuse to play for the national team as long as the 39-year-old Italian-born German coach was in charge of the Belgian side.
Tedesco’s last 10 games in charge from June saw Belgium win only twice, stuttering through the group phase at Euro 2024 and performing poorly in the Nations League.
“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,” said Peter Willems, chief executive officer of the Royal Belgian Football Association.
“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.”
“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,” said Tedesco in a statement.
Belgian media reported in recent days about a possible successor, including a return for Thierry Henry, who served as Martinez’s assistant for a spell.
The RBFA said: “The search for a new coaching staff is proceeding smoothly.”
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Pritha Sarkar and Christian Radnedge)
