Tom Saintfiet, the 50-year-old Belgian coach, has been announced as the new head coach of the Philippines national football team. He previously served as the coach of the Gambian national team from 2018 until their elimination in the first round of the AFCON in Ivory Coast.
This will be Saintfiet’s fifth coaching experience in Asia, following his stints with the Qatar U17 team (2004-2005), Jordan’s Shabab Al-Ordon club (2011), Yemen (2012-2013), and Bangladesh (2016).
Saintfiet is known for his success in leading the Gambian team to their first-ever qualification for the AFCON in Cameroon in 2022, where they reached the quarterfinals. He will now focus on preparing his new team for the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, with matches against Iraq scheduled for March 21st and 26th.
A.B
