Coach Garcia to leave Belgium job at the end of the month
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July 20 : Belgium coach Rudi Garcia will leave his job at the end of the month after he and the country’s football association agreed not to renew his contract, it was announced on Monday.
Garcia took Belgium to the World Cup quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Spain, but his future had been in doubt after a largely unconvincing tournament where they drew with Egypt and Iran in their opening matches before topping their group with a 5-1 win over New Zealand.
So heavy was the criticism Garcia received from the Belgian media in the first stages of the tournament, that he felt the need to call a meeting with them to try to explain his tactical decisions.
Belgium had a huge dollop of good fortune when they turned around a two-goal deficit with time running out in the last 32 against Senegal after a goalkeeping howler allowed them to stage a comeback, which was completed when they were awarded a disputed VAR penalty decision in the last minute of extra time and won 3-2.
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They followed that with a 4-1 win over hosts United States in a convincing performance that saw Garcia praised for his team choices, only for the coach to be lambasted again following elimination by Spain.
The 62-year-old Frenchman’s decision to take off goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois left him looking likely to be sacked although the Belgian federation and Garcia both said on Monday that the decision to not renew his contract, which ends on July 31, had been mutual.
“Rudi Garcia has unquestionably played a key role in restoring the Belgian Red Devils,” said a statement from the association’s sports director Vincent Mannaert.
“He was appointed national coach in a challenging sporting and financial context. Thanks in particular to his commitment and experience, team cohesion was restored and a strong result was achieved at the most recent World Cup,” he added.
“On behalf of the federation, I would like to warmly thank Rudi and his assistants for the past 18 months.”
In his statement, Garcia said: “I would like to thank my fantastic group of players, and I wish Belgium every success in continuing the generational transition that I helped initiate with great pleasure.”
Mannaert will be in charge of choosing Garcia’s successor, with Belgium competing next in the Nations League, where they meet Italy in Rome in their first game in late September and immediately after that host France.
Garcia joins a growing list of World Cup coaches who have departed their posts during and after the tournament.
They include the coaches of Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Jordan, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uruguay.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Clare Fallon)
Source: Reuters
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