Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 23 November 1952 | (age 71)||
Place of birth | Belgium | ||
Managerial career | |||
Years | Team | ||
2005–2006 | Újpest (assistant) | ||
2006 | Újpest [1] | ||
2007 | Sint-Truiden | ||
2008–2009 | Dessel | ||
2009–2011 | Beerschot A.C. (youth) [2] | ||
2011–2012 | KVK Tienen [3] | ||
2012–2013 | Swaziland | ||
2012 | Swaziland U20 | ||
2014–2016 | KFC Duffel | ||
2016 | KVK Tienen |
Valère Billen (born 23 November 1952) is a Belgian football coach. He has coached in Ivory Coast where he managed Satellite FC Abidjan. [4]
Appointed Swaziland head coach in 2012 on a one-year contract, [5] Billen was bought a new car by the National Football Association of Swaziland as a mode of conveyance was one of the rules his contract embodied. [6] With a monthly salary of 100000 Swaziland lilangenis, [7] [8] and the Swaziland Football Association spending 40000 on his rent, the Belgian's first match was a friendly against Lesotho in October, [9] losing 2–1. [10] Two days later, he helped them achieve a 1–0 victory over Lesotho again. [11] Praising his players for their efforts that game, [12] his charges held Lesotho to a 0–0 stalemate [13] in their third and final friendly in preparation for the 2014 African Nations Championship qualifying two-legged round opposing Angola, [14] losing 1–0 both legs. That same month, the former footballer stated that his desire was to work with local coaches and predicted a rise in the FIFA World Rankings, claiming that they would improve dramatically over time. [15] In 2013, he went with the national selection to participate in the 2013 COSAFA Cup, not having a presentiment of failure and predicting that they would overcome all seemingly insuperable obstacles and deliver a good showing in the tournament; [16] however, despite a draw with Botswana in their opener, [17] the Sihlangu never progressed past the group stage, losing 2–0 twice to Kenya and Lesotho with Billen reconsidering his job as coach. [18] Being thrashed 10–0 by Egypt in a friendly worsened the trainer's position, with fans requesting for his immediate dismissal as they were not expecting such a scoreline; [19] but, despite fan pressure, the National Football Association of Swaziland still did not sack Billen [20] until November 2013, with local Harris Bulunga taking up the interim post. [21] The reason they gave for his firing was that he was in Belgium too often and spent more time there rather than helping the Swaziland Football Association. [21]
The coach temporarily returned to Belgium to care for his mother, who was ill. [22]
One year succeeding his appointment, Billen criticized his Swazi coaching colleagues, saying that they never allowed him to share his ideas. [23]