Franky Vercauteren - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

At the end of his playing career, he became the trainer of the youth team from C.S. Braine, a small club in Walloon Brabant. A year after, he moved to KV Mechelen where he first trained the youth team, then the first team (in 1997–98). At the end of this season, he signed as an assistant manager at his first club, RSC Anderlecht. He was briefly named manager along with his fellow Jean Dockx in the 1998–99 season after a disappointing start by manager Arie Haan (Anderlecht fell to the 18th and last place in the beginning of the season). The two men secured among others a nice 0–6 win at Sclessin against old rival Standard Liège and a 2–5 win at K.R.C. Genk, to come back in the European places. Anderlecht then hired Aimé Anthuenis as a manager, and Vercauteren became assistant once again. After coach Hugo Broos, successor of Aimé Anthuenis, was dismissed in February 2005, Vercauteren signed as the new manager and won twice the Belgian Championship. On 12 November 2007, after a string of poor and indifferent results, Vercauteren and Anderlecht parted company with assistant coach Ariel Jacobs taking over until the end of the season.

Vercauteren was from 9 April 2009 to 10 September 2009 the Caretaker Manager of Belgium national football team, stepping down after Belgium's defeat in Armenia on 9 September 2009, he was replaced by Dick Advocaat. On 3 December 2009, he signed a contract as Head Coach of K.R.C. Genk. On 17 May 2011 Vercauteren celebrated the Belgian Championship with Genk, after a 1–1 home draw against Standard Liège. He also won 2011 Belgian Supercup, and lead his club into play-off for UEFA Champions League. On 8 August 2011, he signed a contract as Head Coach of Al Jazira Club. On 11 March 2012 Al Jazira Club announced that they had parted company with Vercauteren. They stated the reason behind the controversial exit of Vercauteren, was because he wasn't getting on with the players. On the same day he was replaced by Caio Junior.