Sonck declined to join the team full-time. — © Getty Images for DFB
Wesley Sonck is ready for a new chapter in his life. The 45-year-old former Red Devil officially said goodbye to the Belgian Football Association on Wednesday. Sonck was active as national coach of the national U19.
The coaches of the national youth teams are not allowed to combine their job as national coach with television work as an analyst. That has been the philosophy of the football association for a few months now and that message was also heard by Sonck. For the same reason, the association previously said goodbye to Olivier Deschacht as assistant coach of the Belgian promises. Sonck did receive the proposal from the football association to take up full-time employment, but he declined.
Now the former striker of Genk and Ajax, among others, has provided clarification on that decision.
“It is with regret that I announce that the time has come to announce my departure from the KBVB,” said Sonck. “These were 7.5 great years in which I was driven by passion and respect. The job was compatible with my other football assignments and therefore a feasible card. I have nothing but positive memories of the 6 great years with Roberto Martinez. Under Luke Benstead a new wind came, which is why I now have to reassess the situation. I was offered a full-time position, which I was obliged to decline. Unfortunately, this is becoming less compatible with other clients.”
It’s time for a new chapter, says Sonck. — © VRT
Furthermore, the association’s financial proposal was not convincing. “A new cycle for 2 years is assumed, with an evaluation after 1 year, which also implies a certain uncertainty for me and less opportunity for a long-term vision”, it sounds. “In terms of work regime alone, a full-time job at the KBVB would no longer give me any margin to accept other assignments. For example, other assignments such as CL or JPL or international competitions in Europe were forbidden to me. I would have to train boys and girls ‘when it’s needed’, allow me to consider this vague. And although pay has never been my primary motivation, no adjustment would be made financially for the switch from part-time to full-time. In this way, it becomes very much one-way traffic and it becomes almost impossible to keep qualified people on board.”
Sonck is one of Sporza’s TV analysts during the European Championship, but he wants to do more than that. “So it’s time for a new chapter in which I apply for other opportunities within the world of football. I don’t want to end without a big thank you to all the people in the federation who believed in me, so here it is! It was a great trip.”
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2024-07-03 09:47:06
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