August 14 – In the latest management shuffle at the RBFA, the operational director of the Belgian FA Jelle Schelstraete will depart the governing body.
In a statement, the RBFA said: “Jelle Schelstraete (35) will leave the KBVB on 20 August. The decision is part of a further optimisation of the sporting structure, which Peter Willems took charge of as Director of Sports and Arbitration on 24 April.”
“After the departure of Roberto Martínez, Jelle Schelstraete took on the position of Operational Director Football, where he was responsible for the operation of the entire sporting department within the KBVB.”
Schelstreate became alienated after the appointment of Willems with sporting operations falling in the remit of technical director Frank Vercauteren.
Earlier this summer, Belgium underwhelmed at Euro 2024, departing the tournament in the round of 16 following a laboured group stage with a single win from three matches.
The exit prompted an internal review at the Belgian FA with Domenico Tedesco retained as manager, but Schelstraete’s departure is also a consequence of financial difficulties.
Last year, the RBFA suffered a loss of €11 million, but because the KBVB is without debt, daily operations were not endangered. At Euro 2024, Belgium received €11.25 million in prize money. In September, the FA will miss out on around €1 million in revenue after it has been forced to stage Belgium’s home game against Israel in Hungary because of security concerns and the refusal of any venue in Belgium to host the Israeli team.
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