Roberto Martinez Expected to Stay On as Belgium Manager Despite EUROS 2020 ‘Fall’

Belgium national football team manager Roberto Martinez is expected to continue his reign as the head coach of the FIFA World’s number one despite the early EUROS 2020 exit.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Belgian Football Association Peter Bossaert has said that he is not expecting to part ways with Martinez despite the fall in the EUROS 2020. Belgium was knocked out of the tournament at the quarter-finals by Italy in a 2-1 thriller in Munich.

This is the second time in a row that Belgium has to fall out at the quarter-finals of a major tournament after the Nations League exit.

In the EUROS, the Red Devils were one of the favorites to lift the title but they will now be forced to wait for the 2022 world cup to try their fate.

Bossaert has said the Spaniard has the full backing of the Belgian FA and he does not expect the 47-year-old to part ways with the Red Devils.

“He has a contract until the end of the World Cup [in Qatar next year]”, said Bossaert. He then went on to say, “We are already together on Monday for the international matches in September and the Nations League final. I’m not afraid he’ll leave. Normally he stays.”

Roberto Martinez was appointed by the Belgian FA in 2016.
PHOTO: Courtesy

Bossaert explained that they are already preparing for the Nations League finals and the world cup that is fast approaching, “This European Championship was a missed opportunity, but the Nations League final will follow in October and the World Cup will start in 16 months,” he said.

“Many of our top players are still quite young. [Kevin] De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are 30, [Romelu] Lukaku 28, [Yannick] Carrasco 27, [Youri] Tielemans 24, and I can name many more.

“They can last a long time. This generation still has opportunities. Certainly in the first two challenges, the Nations League and the World Cup, we can be ambitious.

“Then there is the European Championship in Germany. The World Cup in 2026 in the US, Mexico, and Canada is still too far away. But if we regularly supplement this core with new talents, I look to the future with confidence.”

Roberto Martinez was appointed by the Belgian FA on 3^rd August 2016 taking over from Marc Wilmots and led the team to the semifinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup where they were knocked out by France who went on to lift the world cup trophy, Martinez has received a lot of condemnation over his tactics and squad selection.