A BELGIAN coach who took the Gambian national football squad twice to the Africa Cup of Nations and was nominated in 2022 and 2023 as Africa’s “Coach of the Year” will now call the shots for the national men’s football team.
Philippine Football Federation president John Gutierrez announced yesterday during a press conference in Makati that Tom Saintfiet will now be handling the Azkals.
“We would like to introduce coach Tom Saintfiet, whom we pray can take the national men’s football team to the next level,” Gutierrez said of the mentor who was picked by national men’s team manager Freddie Gonzales from a host of candidates.
“We believe that coach Sainfiet is the right fit for our national men’s team given his background as a developmental coach before coaching at the senior and professional club level,” Gonzales said.
The former national player said several African nations coveted the services of Saintfiet after he stepped down as coach of the national team of Gambia, whose government made him a naturalized citizen following his feats with the squad.
Gonzales added that even Cameroon football great Samuel Etoo had looked Saintfiet up to coach the Indomitable Lions, the Cameroon national squad, once he learned the Belgian was available.
“The PFF and I are very grateful that Saintfiet honored his commitment with us, which speaks a lot about his integrity and character,” Gonzales said of his decision to choose the successor of German coach Michael Weiss.
He added the coach has been signed up for the next four years to maintain the stability and consistency of the national team.
“I am proud to be here. I am impressed with the plan and vision of the PFF for the national team. You can have the best coach in the world, but he will not succeed if he does not have the full support of the federation,” said the bespectacled mentor.
Sainfiet has been in the country for the last two weeks observing football in the country, including the UAAP, before the announcement was made.
While he was not able to talk to Weiss, he said he has already talked to some of the national players, including skipper-goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and midfield-playing siblings Manny and Mike Ott and other overseas-based players.
Gonzales said Sainfiet was to meet with some local booters in training at the Rizal Memorial Stadium yesterday afternoon.
Among the players that Saintfiet said he looked forward to meeting is experienced defender Daisuke Sato, who now plays for the Davao Aguilas after playing abroad for some time.
Saintfiet will be at the helm when the PH booters take on powerhouse Iraq in Basra, Iraq on March 21 in Group F during the second round of the AFC World Cup and Asian qualifiers.
“We know that it will be a tough match away against Iraq, but we will prepare our team as best as we can. Like any coach, I always want to win but we will deal with what we have,” he said. “I would like to prepare them well, especially for the 60,000 fans that we expect to be there at the Basra Stadium.”
He said among his national team goals is to qualify for the 2026 Asian Cup and the 2027 World Cup.
