Behind the Scenes: The Work of the New CEO of the Belgian Union

This Saturday, Piet Vandendriessche will attend his first Red Devils match in his new costume as CEO of the Belgian Union, in Ireland. Tuesday, he will be in England and, between the two meetings, he will have the opportunity to work on a few files.

Because there is no shortage of work for the new leader, between the thorny issue of refereeing, the financial management of the federation or the Belgian-German-Dutch candidacy for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Arbitration

”The purpose of the audit is to find… who did not release the data”

Your biggest project is that of arbitration. Following the publication of data deemed sensitive, you ordered an audit. What purpose ?

”I was very concerned by this release of private data (the referees’ bulletins). I was angry, there were accusations left and right and the idea of ​​this external audit is to find… who didn’t release the data. Around ten people work in the arbitration department. This audit, which will last a few more weeks, is a way of protecting people who have not released anything. A line has been crossed.”

The referees’ report

If the person who leaked this data is found, will they be fired?

”In any case, there is a signal that we wanted to give, to the department staff, but also to the referees. We want to remind them that we support them.”

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Mr. Layec did not want to extend his contract.

Bertrand Layec was not extended but was appreciated, it is said, by the referees. What is the explanation for the end of collaboration?

”He is a former referee of a very high level, with appreciated technical and didactic qualities. But Mr. Layec was at the end of his contract and did not want to extend it after five years. He did a good job, but maybe it was time to build a new team.”

Is Peter Willems’ appointment temporary?

“He has a specific mission, but I cannot say whether or not he will have a permanent appointment. His mission, above all, is to take leadership of the department. In the short term, we want to restore calm and work on the organization chart of the future. It will take time, but I would still like to highlight the quality of our referees. We must have the ambition to go beyond, from now on, to be respected again at the international level.”

Peter Willems is the new head of the refereeing department.

Peter Willems does not come from a refereeing background. Is it also a desire to have someone who has an outside perspective?

”He was CEO of a club (OH Louvain), he knows football and you don’t have to be a referee to manage a refereeing department. I also think that everyone validated the idea.”

The complaints mainly come from Pro League clubs, due to VAR. Should the refereeing department be under the responsibility of the Pro League?

“I do not believe. We have every interest in keeping arbitration within the federation and working together with the League.”

The Red Devils

“I do not wish to go into the details of the (Tedesco) contract”

One of your first decisions, as CEO, was the contract extension of Domenico Tedesco. The file didn’t seem too complicated…

”We quickly found a positive dynamic, in fact, to extend Mr. Tedesco’s contract until after the 2026 World Cup. He wanted to stay, we wanted him to stay, we just discussed periods and commas. ”

Domenico Tedesco’s contract extension was one of Piet Vandendriessche’s first decisions. ©EDA

Is there a clause in the contract that allows the federation to part ways early if things go wrong?

”I don’t want to go into the details of the contract. Let’s be positive, we extended his contract so we trust Mr. Tedesco and his staff to obtain a positive result at the Euro. We wanted to give, with the board of directors, a sign of confidence. He achieved positive results in qualifying; he has not lost a match; he made a good mix in his core between youth and experience, with one or the other discovery like Koni De Winter. We are also looking at the long term with the construction of a new team, the Nations League then the World Cup.”

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We haven’t started discussions with Frankie (Vercauteren) yet, but it’s on my list.

The Belgian Union, financially, also depends on its sporting results during a major tournament. What result at the Euro will be interesting, financially, for Belgium?

“I look first at the sporting aspect, and I am confident that we will play a good Euro. But we have to hope that we can play with our best players. Kevin De Bruyne is injured, it’s a worry, we all hope he will be present. The legitimate expectation is to make it through the first round.”

What managerial view do you have on the Courtois controversy?

“I don’t want to intervene too much on this issue, it’s the role of Mr. Tedesco and his staff, and we have full confidence in them. Everything has been said and written, I will say no more. Anything I say could be interpreted. Let’s talk about the players present instead.”

Will Frankie Vercauteren’s contract be renewed?

“He has a contract for the calendar year, which therefore ends in December 2024. We have not yet started discussions for an extension, but this is one of the files that are on my list.”

The Federation

“We must have the ambition to be perfect”

A little more than two months after your arrival, what are your views on the functioning of the Belgian Union?

”My first impression is that people are proud to work for this federation. I come from an organization (Deloitte) where the motto is only the best is good enough. I want a federation whose mode of operation is optimal, which excels. We must have the ambition to be perfect, even if it will not always be easy.”

What is not always simple is the relationship between the federation and the Pro League. How to improve them?

”I held numerous meetings with the various players in football, the regional federations (French-speaking and Flemish), the Pro League and I actually noticed that the relationship was not always at the best (with professional football). We had several meetings with Lorin Parys (CEO of the League) to arrive at a respectful and professional relationship. We don’t always have the same interests, but we have to work together in a positive atmosphere.”

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Not a big favorite for the organization of the 2027 Women’s World Cup, but we have a chance.

Piet Vandendriessche, with Pascale Van Damme, the president of the Belgian Union.

At the last accounting report, the federation made a profit of €3.4 million. Where will the federation’s finances be at the next assessment?

”The year has ended but it will not be easy. This is normal because we have had a year without a major tournament and the costs of living have increased. But the federation is in good financial health, we have equity of more than €50 million, we have almost no debt. But that doesn’t mean we can do anything, we have to manage our finances correctly and pay attention to every euro we spend. We also have a few sponsor contracts to renew (Editor’s note: Proximus and Carrefour in particular), with discussions underway. One of my goals is to have attentive politics. For example, our training center has been fully paid for, but we want to make it more profitable. We signed a contract with a partner to market the place to the outside world. Team building events can now be organized there.”

The 2027 Women’s World Cup will be awarded on May 17. Belgium is a candidate, with Germany and the Netherlands. Are you confident?

“We recently received a visit from Fifa and we are doing everything with Pascale (Van Damme, the president) to inform all the federations of our project. The vote is very transparent (each federation has one vote). We always have a chance, even if we are not the big favorite, against the candidacy of Brazil, the USA and Mexico. We do our best to get organized. It would be a huge boost for women’s football.”

2024-03-23 11:25:00
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