Courtesy: UEFA.com


Coaching legend Knabben dies

Monday, 3 April 2006

Former Belgium coach Damien Knabben died on Sunday at the age of 64 after a long illness. He was one of the most respected figures in world Futsal, and spent more than a decade in charge of the national team.

Plaudits
Nobody did more than Knabben to improve the standing of Futsal in Belgium. After a glittering domestic coaching career that included seven league titles and five cups with Cobra Primus Hasselt, he had eleven years at the helm of the national team. He gained plaudits when he led an inexperienced side to the finals of the 2003 UEFA European Futsal Championship where his team, largely composed of part-timers, drew 1-1 with mighty Spain.

Final assignment
Knabben's last coaching assignment came when he guided the host nation at the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship in Chinese Taipei. He was also a FIFA Futsal instructor and a teacher at Belgium's Heizel academy



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com