FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Sports

You Could be the Next Coach of the Former FIFA No. 1 Ranked Belgian National Soccer Team

Are you interested in coaching the Belgium national soccer team? Do you have an internet connection?

Your fortunes can change quickly in soccer.

Back in March, Belgium's national team was ranked first in the world by FIFA. On Monday, the Royal Belgian Football Association placed an online ad for a new head coach. One that was poorly translated from French at that.

Discover the desired profile of the new Belgian Red Devils' head coach.

  • Experience and results in the currently fast changing world of football
  • Proven record in transmitting tactical and strategical knowledge to top level players
  • Proven record to be able to work with experts in modern high level football
  • Treating his own social and high performance context
  • Strong and open communicator
  • Ruling generation management
  • Proved to be able to operate in an existing structure and organisation + in full confidence being able to work with the team management, training facilities and financial, commercial and communication framework.

Advertisement

Deadline : 31 July.

Candidates can contact Chris Van Puyvelde by e-mail.

It's an old-fashioned, email-us-your-resume-and-cover-letter posting. Because Belgium doesn't like to complicate these things. So, no need for managers to update their LinkedIn pages and send links or to fill out a 12-page digital form. Just a plain old email will do if you'd like to manage Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Marouane Fellaini et al. Your experience, your strengths, your weaknesses, where you see yourself in five years—that kind of stuff.

You know, just your views on "ruling generation management," your "record in transmitting tactical and strategical knowledge," and your background "treating his own social and high performance context." The basics, really.

Most jobs posted on Craigslist have a more complicated application procedure than this, which, again, is for one of the elite national team programs in the world right now.

What's more interesting than the job post itself though, is what might possess Belgium to even publish it. This, after all, is not how hiring in soccer works. Especially not for high-end jobs like managing one of the deepest and most talented national teams around. At least they're not just picking through various organizations' media guides. So that's something.

Perhaps the Belgians are feeling a tad insecure after flaming out of the Euros in the quarterfinals. When they got knocked out by Wales, no less. Maybe that compounded an underwhelming performance at the 2014 World Cup—where they also were stranded in the quarterfinals, against eventual runners-up Argentina. So now they're unsure of themselves at the headquarters in Brussels.

But what's truly puzzling is what they anticipate will come of this. It was clear that the incumbent Marc Wilmots wasn't much longer for the job, in spite of compiling by far the best record of any Belgium manager ever at 33-8-8. And the few men truly qualified to manage Belgium—say, Dick Advocaat and Marcelo Lippi, both of whom are available and interested—have likely been jostling for the position since that Wales game. Well, their agents have. Because that's what agents are for: filling out your online applications.

Anyway, we suggest you get screenshotting your best Football Manager save and get that application in.