'Wasted golden generation': Belgium fans slam Roberto Martinez after quitting as manager post World Cup exit
The Belgian FA have announced that Roberto Martínez has resigned from his post as national team manager after exiting the Qatar World Cup 2022 at the Group Stage.
FollowFollowing Thursday's unexpected Qatar World Cup 2022 group stage exit, Roberto Martinez announced his resignation as manager of Belgium. Croatia held Belgium to a scoreless draw, which allowed Belgium only to earn four points and place third in Group F.
"That was my last game with the national team, I can't carry on," Martinez said in his post-match press conference. "It's the time for me to accept that this is the last game."
"Today we were ourselves again. It is never easy to win a match at a World Cup. In that first match against Canada we won, but we weren't ourselves. We deservedly lost the second match against Morocco. We weren't ready," the Spaniard added.
"Today we created a lot of chances, so no, I have no regrets. We can leave the World Cup with our heads held high. Of course, elimination in the group stage is not enough for Belgium. We wanted to push through, but every country wants that. This is the best tournament in the world. We won our three group matches at the [2018] World Cup, and also at the [2020] European Championship. But then we were also eliminated. For me the feeling is the same. I can accept this way of losing," he added.
The Belgium FA, too, said in a statement, "Roberto Martinez has announced that he will stop as national coach of the Belgian Red Devils. The decision was already made before the tournament."
Romelu Lukaku, a striker for Belgium's "Golden Generation," had a few opportunities in the second half but failed to take advantage of them. This is the first time since 1998 that Belgium has failed to progress beyond the knockout stages of the World Cup.
When Martinez became the team's manager in 2016, he guided Belgium to the World Cup semifinals and a third-place finish in 2018. Additionally, the Red Devils advanced to the 2020 European Championship quarterfinals.
Before their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign begins with a match against Sweden in March 2023, the Red Devils will search for a new head coach.
"Took the Belgium FA's money, took a big fat shit on their golden generation and dipped," wrote a miffed Belgium fan on Twitter after Martinez stepped down as manager.
Another fan added, "After you don waste their best generation till date," while a third remarked, "They should have sacked him long ago."
Here's a look at some of the reactions on the micro-blogging site:
