Dutchman van Bommel appointed new Belgium football coach

AFP | Brussels

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Mark van Bommel is the new coach of the Belgian national football team, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) announced yesterday.

The 49-year-old former Dutch international succeeds Frenchman Rudi Garcia, who stepped down having guided the ‘Red Devils’ to the World Cup quarter-finals.

“Mark van Bommel has signed a contract that will see him lead Belgium’s national team through UEFA EURO 2028,” read an RBFA statement.

Van Bommel, who was an uncompromising midfielder and key member of the robust Netherlands side that lost to Spain in the 2010 World Cup final, said it was a “great honour” to have been appointed.

“I would like to thank the Royal Belgian Football Association for their confidence in me,” he said.

“Belgium has outstanding players and enormous potential.

“Together with my coaching staff, we want to build a team that is disciplined, ambitious and brave enough to compete with the very best.

“Success is never guaranteed, but hard work, honesty and commitment are.”

After hanging up his boots in 2013, Van Bommel has cut his teeth as coach of PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg and Antwerp.

Van Bommel has been without a team since departing Belgian top-flight club Antwerp in June 2024, a year after having guided them to a first league title in 66 years.