Domenico Tedesco becomes the new national coach of the Belgian Red Devils

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is proud to announce that Domenico Tedesco has been appointed as the new national team coach. A Taskforce was formed within the RBFA at the beginning of December, consisting of RBFA CEO Peter Bossaert and Operational Director Football Jelle Schelstraete, RBFA directors Sven Jacques and Pierre Locht, and Club Brugge president Bart Verhaeghe. This Taskforce was tasked with finding a new national coach, as well as advising on the further development of RBFA's technical core. 

Domenico Tedesco is the new national coach of the Belgian Red Devils  

Italian Domenico Tedesco will succeed Roberto Martínez as national coach of the Belgian Red Devils. He will sign a contract with the RBFA until after the 2024 European Championship. ​ 

Tedesco is 37 and was previously coach at Schalke 04, Spartak Moscow and RB Leipzig. ​ He is known as a modern coach with top-level international experience, who likes to play an offensive style of football with plenty of forward pressure. ​ ​ 

His mission is to qualify the Belgian Red Devils for the 2024 European Championship in Germany. The first qualifying match will be played on 24 March in Stockholm against Sweden. 

“For me it is a great honour to be the new head coach of Belgium. I'm really looking forward to the task and I'm extremely motivated. I had a very good feeling right from the first conversation.” 
​Domenico Tedesco, Head Coach of the Belgian Red Devils  

Frank Vercauteren to become Sports Director Football 

The technical core of the RBFA will be led by a highly complementary duo: alongside Operational Director Football, Jelle Schelstraete, who heads the sporting organisation, Frank Vercauteren will be appointed Sports Director Football. ​ ​ 

Frank Vercauteren (66) is a big name in Belgian football. Not only as a player (63 caps with the Belgian Red Devils) but also as a coach at home and abroad. He is known for his enormous football knowledge and his ability to achieve success. As such, he perfectly fits the profile the RBFA was looking for. ​ ​ 

Vercauteren already worked for the RBFA in the past. In 2008, he succeeded Stéphane Demol as assistant to national coach René Vandereycken and after the latter's dismissal in 2009, Vercauteren was interim national coach for four months pending the arrival of Dick Advocaat. ​ 

"I am very excited to take up this new important step in my career that I have been preparing for some time. Between 2008 and 2009, I was already active at the RBFA, but I have noticed that the Belgian Football Association has changed enormously in a positive sense in the meantime. Belgium has also been fortunate to be able to count on a large pool of talent for several years, but we must never rest on our laurels. It is our duty to prepare the future. It is not enough to be strong on paper; the most important thing is to convert our qualities into results on the pitch, and this with all our national teams. This must be our ambition." ​ 
​Frank Vercauteren, Sports Director Football of the RBFA 

"We have taken extensive time with the Taskforce in recent weeks to discuss our sporting choices for the future. The click with Domenico Tedesco was there right from the first conversation. He was our first choice. He stands for the football we want to bring: energetic with a lot of forward pressure. We strongly believe in our generation of footballers. It is up to our new coach to work with them and lead us to new successes. ​ ​
​With Frank Vercauteren, we bring in a pure football profile with a wealth of international experience at the highest level. Exactly the man we were looking for. All the elements are now in place for the RBFA to continue to be successful in the future." ​ 
​Peter Bossaert, CEO of the RBFA 

Frank Vercauteren and Domenico Tedesco will be presented to the media on Wednesday 8 Februari at 16:00 in the auditorium of the Proximus Basecamp (Rue de Bruxelles 480, 1480 Tubize).

We kindly ask you to confirm your presence by sending an e-mail to Stefan Van Loock ([email protected]) by Wednesday 8 February (13:00) at the latest.

After the press conference, the only possible individual interviews with Frank Vercauteren and Domenico Tedesco will be for the following four TV channels: RTBF, RTL, VRT and VTM (maximum 5 minutes per interview).

Biography  

Domenico Tedesco
​° Rossano (Ita), 12 September 1985 

Player at:

Coach at:

Frank Vercauteren
​° Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, 28 October 1956 ​ 

Player at:  

Coach at: ​