Aimé Anthuenis

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Aimé Anthuenis
Personal information
Date of birth (1943-12-21) 21 December 1943 (age 80)
Place of birth Lokeren, Belgium
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1970 Racing Lokeren
1970–1974 Lokeren 41 (2)
FC Eeklo
KV Ertvelde
Managerial career
1985–1987 Lokeren
1987–1988
Charleroi
1988–1993 Lokeren
1993–1994
Germinal Ekeren
1995–1996 Waregem
1996–1999 Genk
1999–2002 Anderlecht
2002–2005 Belgium
2006 Lokeren
2008–2009
Germinal Beerschot
2010
Lierse
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aimé Anthuenis (born 21 December 1943) is a Belgian former professional football player and manager. He managed the Belgium national football team between 2002 and 2005.

After a career as a defender, Anthuenis moved into coaching, first as the head coach of

KSV Waregem in the Belgian Second Division. Under his lead, Waregem was crowned league champion
the same season.

In 1996, Anthuenis signed with Second Division club

Racing Genk. He brought the club to the First Division that year, finishing second in the championship. The following season, Anthuenis finished second in the Belgian top tier, and won Genk's first Belgian Cup. The next year, he led the Limburg-based club to their first national championship, winning the 1998–99 Belgian First Division
.

Anthuenis left Genk in 1999 to join Anderlecht. He immediately won Anderlecht's 25th title, also qualifying for the UEFA Champions League qualifying round. In August 2000, Anderlecht qualified for the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League by knocking out FC Porto in the last qualifying round. In the group stage they won their group, which included also Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven, and Dynamo Kyiv. Eventually, Anderlecht was eliminated in the second group stage, finishing third in their group. He finished the season by celebrating the club's 26th title.

Anthuenis won the Belgian Manager of the Year award for a record three times.

Club career

Aimé Anthuenis was born and raised in

First Division for the first time. Anthuenis' sporting career was hampered in that period by a serious knee injury. After that season he exchanged the club for fourth division FC Eeklo. With the club from the Meetjesland he became vice champion twice. After four seasons, he moved to KV Ertvelde, where he was a player-trainer for two seasons. Anthuenis combined his duties as a football coach with a job at the Ghent University
.

Coaching career

Lokeren

Daknamstadion, Lokeren

After ending his career as a player, Anthuenis returned to Lokeren, where he started his career as a coach.

UEFA Cup
for the first time since 1982.

Charleroi

After Lokeren, Anthuenis moved to Sporting Charleroi,[2] where he was reunited with Raymond Mommens.[3] Under the leadership of Anthuenis, the "Zebras" once again finished safely in the middle bracket in the 1987–88 season.[4]

Return to Lokeren

Anthuenis returned to Lokeren in 1988. The club had had a bad year and hoped to rejoin the top 10 with his return. However, Lokeren, which had lost many of its key players, fell out of the top 10 two years in a row. The club was no longer eligible for European football and had several colorless seasons. At the end of January 1993, the 49-year-old trainer was fired and succeeded by Etienne D'Hondt. Eventually Lokeren ended the season last but one and was relegated.

Germinal Ekeren

Anthuenis was then hired by

Germinal Ekeren, where he succeeded Urbain Haesaert. Anthuenis ended up in the middle bracket with Germinal, placing 10th. Germinal also reached the semi-finals of the 1994 Belgian Cup
, in which it was eliminated by Club Brugge.

Waregem

After a year at the Antwerp-based club, Anthuenis moved to

KSV Waregem, which had been relegated to the second division in 1994. Led by Anthuenis, Waregem became champion of the second division in 1995. Next season Waregem had a difficult start and Anthuenis was sacked early in September. He was succeeded by André Van Maldeghem. The club eventually finished last in the championship
and was relegated to the Second Division.

Genk

A month after his resignation from Waregem, Anthuenis signed with Racing Genk. In his first season at the club Anthuenis became vice champion of the Second Division with Genk. In the subsequent final round, Genk was able to achieve promotion to the First Division. At Genk he was considered a father figure in that period, which earned him the nickname Papa.[5][6][4]

Genk signed several reinforcements for the 1996–97 season, including Bart Goor and Anthuenis' old acquaintances like Souleymane Oularé. The Ghanaian striker played as a forward with Branko Strupar, who had his big breakthrough under Anthuenis. In 1998 Genk surprisingly became vice champion and conquered the Belgian Cup for the first time. In the final, they beat the then national champions Club Brugge 4–0, with two goals from Oularé. The next season, Anthuenis led Genk to their first national championship. Anthuenis himself was voted Belgian Manager of the Year.[7][4]

Anderlecht

After the national title with Genk, Anthuenis moved to

Anderlecht. The club had been looking for its 25th national title since 1995 and hoped to win it with the Lokeren-born trainer. Under Anthuenis the club acquired former Lokeren striker Jan Koller who, together with Tomasz Radzinski, became one of Anderlecht's stars. Anthuenis won the Belgian First Division that year, and was named for the second time Belgian Manager of the Year.[7][4]

Anderlecht qualified for the

Leeds. They won at home against Real (2–0) and Lazio (1–0), but eventually only finished third in their group. That season Anderlecht was again crowned national champions, while Authensis was named Belgian Manager of the Year for the third time.[7][4]

Anderlecht finished the 2001–02 Belgian First Division third, while in Champions League it ended fourth in their group with three points. After the end of the season, Anderlecht and Anthuenis parted ways.

Belgium national team

On 29 June 2002, Anthuenis signed a contract for 2 and a half years with the Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB). The Red Devils had just finished the World Cup in Japan and South Korea when Anthuenis took over. He tried to qualify for UEFA Euro 2004 with a new generation of Belgians. Anthuenis brought to the national team and made debut players like Thomas Buffel, Jelle Van Damme, Vincent Kompany and Anthony Vanden Borre. Under Anthuenis, Kompany debuted at just 17 years old.[8]

Belgium was placed in Group 8 in the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying. They finished behind Bulgaria with the same points as Croatia, tying also on head-to-head points. However, Croatia advanced to the play-offs due to a better head-to-head goal difference.

Despite the failed qualifying campaign, Anthuenis stayed as head coach of Belgium. He was now tasked with guiding the Belgians to the World Cup in Germany. Belgium ended up in Group 7, a group that included Spain. Anthuenis didn't reach the target, with the national team finishing fourth in their group, and failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1978.[9]

Third stint at Lokeren

A few months after his last international match as national coach, Anthuenis started working again at Lokeren, despite offers from abroad and the plan to take a break from football. In December 2005 he became Lokeren's new coach. Anthuenis soon had to deal with depression and heart problems.[10] He later explained that he actually had a burnout, after going back to work right away.[11] When Lokeren lost 2–0 to Lierse on 11 February 2006 he was so tired that he called it quits, temporarily withdrawing from football.[11]

Germinal Beerschot

In 2006, Anthuenis was appointed as technical director at Germinal Beerschot, a position that previously did not exist at the Antwerp club. Marc Brys was then hired as coach. After two years it was decided to drop the position and not to renew Anthuenis' contract. But a few months after his contract ended, in November 2008, Germinal Beerschot fired trainer Harm van Veldhoven and this time asked Anthuenis to become their new coach. Anthuenis agreed, and under his leadership Germinal Beerschot finished the season in thirteenth place, avoiding relegation.

The next season, after poor performances by the team, Anthuenis was fired.[12]

Lierse

In February 2010, Anthuenis signed with Second Division club

Jurgen Cavens, Tim Matthys and Seth De Witte, he led Lierse to the league title the same year.[14] The club thus returned to the First Division after an absence of three years.[14] However, Anthuenis was sacked after a few months into the 2010–11 Pro League season.[15][14]

Personal life

Aimé Anthuenis is the brother of PVV politician Georges Anthuenis [nl] and the uncle of VLD politician Filip Anthuenis. His brother was mayor of Lokeren from 1995 to 2000. His son Filip succeeded him in 2001.[1]

Honours

Manager

Waregem

Genk

Anderlecht

Lierse

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Aimé Anthuenis: "Lokeren is te mooi om zomaar te verdwijnen"" (in Dutch). Sporza. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  2. ^ Van Heuverswijn, Laurens. "Aimé Antheunis (77) herstelt van corona: oud-bondscoach lag zes weken in coma". Het Nieuwsblad. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  3. ^ "2000: Aimé Anthuenis". City of Lokeren. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Aimé Anthuenis nouvel entraîneur du Germinal Beerschot". RTBF.
  5. ^ Taildeman, Yves. "Heyligen wil Anthuenis bewijzen dat Genk zonder hem kan". Het Belang van Limburg. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  6. ^ Tetaert, Chris. "Anthuenis: 'Ekakia en Dindane hebben mij als trainer vaak over de streep getrokken'". Knack (magazine). Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Anthuenis ontslagen bij Germinal Beerschot". Het Nieuwsblad. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Oud-bondscoach Aimé Anthuenis: "Ook Kompany zal als coach onder vuur komen te liggen"". Sporza. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  9. ^ Devilez, Alice. "Les affrontements entre la Belgique et la Bosnie en quelques chiffres". RTBF. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  10. ^ Vandewalle, Ludo. "Aimé Anthuenis schudt zijn ziekte af". De Standaard. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  11. ^ a b Cobbaert, Paul. "Huisanalist Aimé Anthuenis blikt terug op een bewogen carrière: "Ik was een eigenzinnige maniak"". De Zondag. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Germinal Beerschot zet Anthuenis aan de deur". Het Laatste Nieuws. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Aimé Anthuenis moet Lierse naar eerste loodsen". Het Nieuwsblad. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d "Aimé Anthuenis limogé au Lierse" (in French). L'Avenir. 19 September 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Aimé Anthuenis ontslagen als trainer van Lierse". Het Nieuwsblad. 19 September 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  16. ^ a b c "Wie is Aimé Anthuenis?". Standaard. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Statistieken KRC Genk". www.genkiesvoorhetleven.be. Retrieved 30 November 2021.

External links

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