Rudi García warns Mark van Bommel over Belgium’s medical set-up
Belgium’s former coach has criticised the handling of Jérémy Doku’s illness and says changes would have been required had he remained in charge.
Rudi García has warned his Belgium successor Mark van Bommel about the national team’s medical operation following the World Cup. The French coach, who was dismissed after the tournament, claimed the handling of health problems put Belgium’s campaign at risk.
García’s criticism centred on Jérémy Doku, who suffered a respiratory infection and ultimately required emergency hospital treatment. According to García, he had requested a medical examination several days earlier, but the team doctor advised against it and instead prescribed antibiotics that proved ineffective. Doku was then unavailable throughout the tournament.
Speaking in an interview with Le Soir, as relayed by Voetbalzone, García said: “We put the World Cup at risk because injuries were not handled properly.” He added that, had he stayed as national coach, improvements to the medical staff would have been necessary.
Belgium recovered from draws against Egypt and Iran to beat New Zealand 5-1 and finish top of their group. They subsequently defeated Senegal 3-2 after extra time in the last 32 and overcame the United States 4-1 in the last 16. Their run ended with a 2-1 quarter-final defeat by eventual champions Spain. García nevertheless described reaching the last eight as a major achievement before Belgium replaced him with Van Bommel after the tournament.
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- Rudi García waarschuwt Van Bommel voor één man bij België: 'Als ik nog bondscoach was, dan...' | Voetbalzone— Voetbalzone
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