Georges Leekens will become Belgium coach for a second time after the abrupt departure of Dutchman Dick Advocaat earlier this month, the country`s football association said on Monday.
|Last Updated: May 04, 2010, 09:12 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Brussels: Georges Leekens will become Belgium coach for a second time after the abrupt departure of Dutchman Dick Advocaat earlier this month, the country`s football association said on Monday.
Leekens, 60, is set to sign a two-year deal with an option to extend his contract to 2014 if Belgium qualify for Euro 2012, a Belgian FA spokesman said.He replaces Dick Advocaat, who quit last month after just half a year in charge with media reporting the Dutchman was braced to take charge of Russia.
Leekens, who as a central defender won three caps for Belgium, has had brief spells as coach of Algeria and Turkish side Trabzonspor, but has mainly stayed in his home country managing a myriad of clubs over the past 26 years.
He helped Club Bruges win the 1990 Belgian title and took charge of the national side in 1997. Belgium made it to the World Cup finals in 1998, but were knocked out after drawing their three group matches. He was sacked in 1999.
Belgium`s last appearance at a major championships was in the 2002 World Cup finals. The team has since dropped to 62nd in FIFA`s world rankings.Belgium next play Bulgaria in a friendly on May 19 and will will start their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign by hosting Germany in September.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.