Frank Raes saw many national coaches come and go in his time as a football journalist. “But I have no idea what is going on in the heads of the football association right now.”
“For me it may be a Belgian again, also because a foreign coach has never become world champion.”
“It seems to me that a technical director should first be found (Martinez combined both functions, ed.). He must then eventually attract the national coach.”
According to Frank Raes, that search is “no cat piss”. “I don’t think the TDs are very popular. They may be able to bring Chris Van Puyvelde back from Morocco, but it will be expensive.”
“I think they should take their time to find someone, including a national coach. Only there is already a match in the European Championship preliminary round in March. Maybe Jacky Mathijssen, the national coach of the U21s, can become interim national coach? is someone with a lot of experience, a friendly man too.”
Roberto Martinez already knew before the World Cup that he would leave after the World Cup. At the football association they were apparently not keen to extend it quickly either.
“Do they have a plan B at the union?” Frank Raes wonders. “Perhaps CEO Peter Bossaert has a list of names in his drawer?”
There are a lot of big, often foreign names singing around as Martinez’s successor. But according to Frank Raes they are not really realistic.
“Big names usually work at a club, because they can earn more there and they can still be on the field every day. As a national coach you have to have a certain maturity. But actually I’m glad I don’t have to decide this.”
