Membership Brugge have fired coach Carl Hoefkens regardless of him main the Belgian membership to their first ever place within the final 16 of the Champions League this season.
His sacking was introduced on Wednesday and comes after a run of poor home kind, together with an embarrassing 4-1 residence defeat by St Truiden within the Belgian Cup final week and a 1-1 residence draw with OH Leuven within the league on Tuesday, which left the champions in fourth place, 12 factors behind leaders Racing Genk. The 44-year Hoefkens had solely been within the job six months, stepping up from the position of assistant to take over from Alfred Schreuder, who left for Ajax Amsterdam after successful the Belgian league final season.
Hoefkens, whose taking part in profession took in spells at Stoke Metropolis and West Bromwich Albion, made an impression with Membership Brugge within the group stage of the Champions League, the place they received their first three matches and had been early qualifiers for the final 16.
They ended the group in second place behind FC Porto, eliminating Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. However the membership mentioned ends in Belgian competitors weren’t passable and that they had been now on the lookout for “the very best successor”.
“Carl is a membership man right down to his blood,” mentioned a press release from normal supervisor Vincent Mannaert.
“His contribution and dedication to the youth academy and as an assistant had been drastically appreciated. His half on this season’s profitable Champions League marketing campaign can’t be underestimated both. However our determination in the summertime (to make him coach) didn’t ship the specified stage of play and ends in the Belgian league and cup.”
Brugge subsequent play away at league leaders Genk on Jan. 8 and in February face Benfica residence and away within the final 16 of the Champions League.