Tom Saintfiet at a training camp for the Philippine men's national football team. Handout/PFF
MANILA -- Philippine Football Federation (PFF) director of senior national teams Freddy Gonzalez confirmed the departure of head coach Tom Saintfiet from the men's national football team on Thursday morning.
The development came four days before the start of the 2024 Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“From my first meeting with Tom this is something we had discussed that if a bigger opportunity came to him that I wouldn’t stand in his way. Tom came into the Philippine job with every intention of helping with our project, but his heart has always been in Africa. We thank him for his service and wish him well in his new role,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
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Following news of Saintfiet's exit, the Mali Football Federation welcomed the Belgian mentor as its new head coach on social media.
The 51-year-old will be leading the Mali National Football also known as "The Eagles" in its qualification campaign for the 2025 Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations.
Hours later, Gonzalez issued another statement on Saintfiet's departure.
He said "they had a longterm contract [with Tom] and had every intention of seeing it through."
“That he came to be about the Mali job just as we’re about to depart from the Merdeka Cup is obviously disappointing. But it [was] made clear to me that his heart was already set elsewhere. I have no interest in holding on to anyone who’s not fully committed to the Philippines and our goals,” Gonzalez explained in the statement posted Thursday afternoon.
READ: PFF appoints Freddy Gonzalez as director of national teams
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Norman Fegidero, men's seniors team assistant and under-23 squad mentor, will step in as interim coach for the Merdeka Cup.
He will be temporarily supported by Mark Torcaso, Philippine women's national football heam head coach.
Andrew Durante, Sinisa Cohadzic, and Garrath McPherson also from the women's team are 'all committing to join.'
“We need people who are all in. It’s the only way we will succeed. That goes for the players, the staff, and most definitely our head coach. We intend to get the man on board very soon," Gonzalez emphasized.
Under Saintfiet's leadership, the Philippine men's national team lost all four of its FIFA World Cup Qualifiers matches.
Before taking the reins for the Philippine men's team, Saintfiet led the Gambian national team from 2018 to 2024, steering them to a quarterfinals appearance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
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