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Belgium manager Rudi Garcia will leave his role after the country's football association decided against extending his contract.
Replacement keeper Lammens made crucial errorGarcia: ‘Only players who are 100% fit can play’Rudi Garcia came under a barrage of fire for replacing his injured first-choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, in Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final defeat by Spain on Friday, adding to questions about the coach’s future.Courtois felt he could continue despite a twinge in his leg, but Garcia insisted that he came off as he was not 100% fit. Senne Lammens went on as his replacement after 71 minutes but spilt a low strike by Pau Cubarsí, allowing the Spain substitute Mikel Merino to pounce in the 86th minute and secure a 2-1 victory. Continue reading...
Rudi Garcia says his team can benefit from Balogun red card saga‘Everyone is talking about us going home but we can do it,’ coach saysRudi Garcia has claimed that Belgium have got “millions and millions” of new supporters after Donald Trump lobbied Fifa to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card ahead of their victory against the USA in the last 16 – and that they will take “incredible strength” from that against Spain in their quarter-final. The Belgium coach also insisted that he has faith in his team, even though “everyone thinks we are going home”. Garcia, after all, has a not-so-secret weapon sitting on the bench: when striker Romelu Lukaku is introduced, he said, opponents “quake in their boots”.Trump boasted that he had phoned Fifa to get Balogun’s punishment put on hold after the direct red card he was shown against Bosnia and Herzegovina. But despite Fifa’s unprecedented decision to suspended the striker’s ban for a year, Belgium still defeated the USA 4-1. At full-time, the Belgium football federation’s social media accounts declared “overturn this” and players celebrated by parodying Trump’s dance. Garcia also confirmed that he had spoken to Balogun, telling him he could not be blamed for Trump’s lobbying or Fifa’s willingness to cede to it. Continue reading...
BBC Sport · 19 Aug 2026
