Maaskant backs Van Bommel for Belgium while questioning Dutch neglect

Robert Maaskant told The Orange Summer that Mark van Bommel is a suitable successor to Rudi Garcia as Belgium national team coach, a comment made today at 22:33. He added that it is striking the former PSV and Royal Antwerp manager is not mentioned by the Dutch national team.

De reported on Monday that Van Bommel is viewed in Belgium as the ‘ideal’ replacement for Garcia, who earlier that day stepped down as coach of the Red Devils. The newspaper highlighted the sudden interest from the Belgian federation.

Garcia’s contract was set to run until 31 July 2026, but the Belgian football federation has signalled it will not extend the agreement. This creates a vacancy that Van Bommel is being linked to.

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Maaskant praised Van Bommel’s achievements, noting his championship with Royal Antwerp and his strong reputation built at PSV. He also mentioned that the preferred candidate, Vincent Kompany, currently manages a large club and is therefore unavailable.

The trainer emphasized his surprise that Van Bommel is completely absent from discussions in the Netherlands. He concluded that the Dutch side has overlooked a name that is highly regarded in Belgium.

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Rutger Castricum disagreed, arguing that a name like Arne Slot quickly eclipses Van Bommel’s. He acknowledged Van Bommel’s good work at Antwerp and said that success there has made him popular in Belgium, even if he is not of the same calibre as Slot.