Qatar 2022: Martinez quits Belgium squad
Belgian coach Roberto Martinez resigned on Thursday after his side were eliminated in the first round of the World Cup.
Martinez said he made that decision to end his six-year term some time ago and would have left even if they were crowned champions.
"It was my last game as a national team coach. It's emotional," he said. "I can't go on. I said goodbye to the players and to the staff. I was going to quit anyway - no matter what.
"Even though we had become world champions. I made that decision before the World Cup."
This ends a long stint in charge of the team in which he led them to number one in the world rankings and third place at the World Cup in Russia.
Belgium missed numerous chances to score the goal against Croatia that would have taken them to the round of 16, but had to settle for a 0-0 draw and third place in the pool behind Morocco and Croatia.
It sums up a disappointing campaign in which they scored just once in three games and made more headlines for reported feuds off the pitch than for their football on the pitch.
>"Today we were ourselves again," Martinez said. "It's never easy to win a game in a World Cup. In that first game against Canada, we won (1-0), but we weren't ourselves. We deserved to lose this second match against Morocco (2-0). We were not ready.
“Today we created a lot of chances, so no, I have no regrets. We can leave the World Cup with our heads held high.”
Martinez admitted that this could also be the end for some of the team's 'golden generation', but believes he is leaving the team with a new group of young players to take them forward.
“Players like (Youri) Tielemans, (Amadou) Onana, (Jeremy) Doku…the golden generation have achieved something that should excite future generations. This legacy lives on and they must continue to set high standards. »
Defender Jan Vertonghen, 35, hinted there had been tension in the side and said that in all three games they were simply not good enough.
"You don't have to be 26 friends to win," he said. "I'm very disappointed. We gave everything for Belgium, our squad and our coach. But it wasn't enough. We didn't lose it tonight.
"We had a lot of chances, more than in the previous matches combined, but we didn't manage. Will I continue myself? Yes.
(Reuters/NAN)
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Belgian coach Roberto Martinez resigned on Thursday after his side were eliminated in the first round of the World Cup.
Martinez said he made that decision to end his six-year term some time ago and would have left even if they were crowned champions.
"It was my last game as a national team coach. It's emotional," he said. "I can't go on. I said goodbye to the players and to the staff. I was going to quit anyway - no matter what.
"Even though we had become world champions. I made that decision before the World Cup."
This ends a long stint in charge of the team in which he led them to number one in the world rankings and third place at the World Cup in Russia.
Belgium missed numerous chances to score the goal against Croatia that would have taken them to the round of 16, but had to settle for a 0-0 draw and third place in the pool behind Morocco and Croatia.
It sums up a disappointing campaign in which they scored just once in three games and made more headlines for reported feuds off the pitch than for their football on the pitch.
>"Today we were ourselves again," Martinez said. "It's never easy to win a game in a World Cup. In that first game against Canada, we won (1-0), but we weren't ourselves. We deserved to lose this second match against Morocco (2-0). We were not ready.
“Today we created a lot of chances, so no, I have no regrets. We can leave the World Cup with our heads held high.”
Martinez admitted that this could also be the end for some of the team's 'golden generation', but believes he is leaving the team with a new group of young players to take them forward.
“Players like (Youri) Tielemans, (Amadou) Onana, (Jeremy) Doku…the golden generation have achieved something that should excite future generations. This legacy lives on and they must continue to set high standards. »
Defender Jan Vertonghen, 35, hinted there had been tension in the side and said that in all three games they were simply not good enough.
"You don't have to be 26 friends to win," he said. "I'm very disappointed. We gave everything for Belgium, our squad and our coach. But it wasn't enough. We didn't lose it tonight.
"We had a lot of chances, more than in the previous matches combined, but we didn't manage. Will I continue myself? Yes.
(Reuters/NAN)
Support the integrity and credibility journalism of PREMIUM TIMES Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can guarantee the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy and a transparent government. For free and continued access to the best investigative journalism in the country, we ask that you consider providing modest support to this noble endeavour. By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you help sustain relevant journalism and keep it free and accessible to everyone.Donate
[embedded content]TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT: Call Willie - +2348098788999
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