Belgium fires soccer coach Tedesco

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco has been fired after he failed to revive the national team during this relatively short tenure, the Belgian soccer federation said Friday.

The German-Italian manager was hired in Feb. 2023 with the goal of rebooting the Red Devils after a disappointing end of the Roberto Martínez era at the World Cup.

The Belgian federation said that its decision to let Tedesco go came after further disappointing performances at both the 2024 European Championships, when it lost to France in round-of-16, and the Nations League.

He was also undermined by his handling of world-class goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who left the team in a huff just before Euro 2024 for not being named team captain.

Tedesco had previously coached at clubs Schalke, Spartak Moscow and Leipzig.

The federation said it was looking for a replacement.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer