Following the Red Devils’ shocking group-stage exit in Qatar, Roberto Martinez resigned as Belgium’s head coach, and Domenico Tedesco has been selected as his replacement.
After winning just one of their three games in Group F, Belgium was eliminated from the World Cup, falling short of matching their outstanding third-place performance at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Martinez quit his position as manager of Belgium following the tournament in Qatar and is now in command of Portugal’s national team. Martinez had led Belgium to the top spot in the FIFA world rankings between 2018 and 2021.
Martinez’s replacement is Tedesco, who lost his job at RB Leipzig in September following a shaky start to the season. Tedesco has a contract to manage Belgium through the 2024 European Championships.
Domenico Tedesco is the new head coach of our Devils. Good luck, coach! 🤝🇧🇪 #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/KeHHPbVpB3
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) February 8, 2023
While with Leipzig, Tedesco delivered the club’s first DFB-Pokal in its history and took them to the Europa League semi-finals before they were ultimately beaten by Rangers.
“For me, it is a great honour to be the new head coach of Belgium,” Tedesco told reporters following his appointment. “I’m really looking forward to the task and I’m extremely motivated.
“I had a very good feeling right from the first conversation.”
Tedesco will be tasked with making sure his new team reaches the European Championships in Germany next year, with the first qualifier set to be played away at Sweden on March 24.