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International Football

Belgium sack coach Marc Wilmots after Euro 2016 failure

Wilmots loses his job after Belgium lost 3-1 to Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter finals, having previously led his country to a World Cup quarter final and number one in the FIFA rankings

Belgium sack coach Marc Wilmots after Euro 2016 failure
David RogersPhotograph: David Rogers/Getty I

Belgium sacked national coach Marc Wilmots after their highly fancied team of star individuals failed to advance beyond the quarter-finals at Euro 2016 this month, a senior Belgian Football Association official told a news conference on Friday.

The former Schalke midfielder, 47, had coached the Red Devils for four years, taking them to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2014 and seeing them top FIFA's world ranking chart with a team built around Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Manchester City pair Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne.

Gareth Bale of Wales and Thomas Meunier of Belgium compete for the ball during the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter final match between Wales and Belgium
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Gareth Bale of Wales and Thomas Meunier of Belgium compete for the ball during the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter final match between Wales and BelgiumClive RoseGetty Images

Clueless 3-1 defeat to Wales in Euro 2016 quarters

But a clueless 3-1 defeat to Wales in the Euro 2016 quarters left critics calling for Wilmots' head and Belgian fans wondering what happened to the team that many had hoped would deliver the country's first major trophy.