The Philippine Football Federation has announced the departure of men's head coach Tom Santfiet on Thursday morning.
Saintfiet was appointed as the head coach of the team formerly known as “The Azkals” just last February after a six year stint with Gambia, elevating the lowly African side to new heights, which includes a quarterfinals finish in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with Gambia being the lowest-ranked team to get that finish.
The Belgian coach, though, won’t get the chance to bring that magic with him to the Philippines as he’s set to return to Africa to coach world no. 53 Mali.
PMNFT Director of Senior National Teams Freddy Gonzales bared in a press release of the agreement he had with Saintfiet prior to signing.
“From my first meeting with Tom this is something we had discussed that if a bigger opportunity came to him that I wouldn’t stand in his way,” Gonzales said.
“Tom came into the Philippine job with every intention of helping with our project, but his heart has always been in Africa. We thank him for his service and wish him well in his new role.”
Scrambling for a replacement
With the departure of Saintfiet, the Philippines is now scrambling for a replacement head coach with the squad set to join the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from September 2-10, and the ASEAN Cup (Mitsubishi Electric Cup) this December.
“With the Merdeka Cup around the corner, and preparations for the Mitsubishi Electric Cup ramping up, we need to move on quickly from this,” Gonzales continued.
“We are already looking at candidates to take on the Head Coach role. I’m confident in finding a man that will be committed to our vision.”
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