Luc Eymael


Luc Eymael is a Belgian football manager and a former footballer who currently manages Young Africans.

Playing career

Luc began his professional footballing career in 1975 with the Fléron-based, Royal Star Fléron Football Club with whom he participated in the Belgian Fourth Division and later helped them in promotion to the Belgian Third Division. In 1981, he moved to Ferrières where he signed a one-year contract with Belgian Third Division club, Royale Union Sportive Ferrières.
He first moved out of Belgium in 1983 to Netherlands where he signed a two-year contract with Heerlen-based, Eerste Divisie club, Sporting Heerlen.
In 1985, he moved back to Belgium and more accurately to Vaux-sous-Chèvremont where he signed a long-term contract with, along with Belgian Fifth Division club, Racing Club Vaux and in long five-year spell with the club, he helped them in promotion to the Belgian Fourth Division.
In 1990, he signed a two-year contract with Huy-based, Belgian Third Division club, Royal Football Club Huy.
In 1992, he moved to Virton where he signed a long-term contract with Belgian Fourth Division club, R.E. Virton. He first helped his side in promotion to the Belgian Third Division and later in promotion to the Belgian Second Division.
He then moved to Hasselt where in 1995, he signed a one-year contract with Belgian Second Division club, K.S.C. Hasselt.
Later, in 1996, he signed a one-year contract with UR Namur and helped his side win the 1996–97 Belgian Third Division and hence in promotion to the Belgian Second Division.
In 1998, he moved to Athus where he signed a one-year contract with Belgian Fourth Division club, Royal Sporting Club Athusien. Finally, he ended his career as a footballer in the year 2000, playing for a season with another Belgian Fourth Division club, Royal Football Club Aubel.
He has also participated in various international tournaments with the Belgium U-14 side, the Belgium national under-16 football team and the Belgium national Military football team.

Managerial career

Luc holds the UEFA Pro Licence, the highest football coaching qualification. He received the UEFA Pro Licence in 2007 and the UEFA A License which he received on 10 September 2002, from the Royal Belgian Football Association. He is also a graduate from the Federal School of football coaching of Union Royale Belge Des Sociétés de Football Association. He also holds the CAF A License which he received from the Tunisian Football Federation on 5 February 2015.
He has worked with many of Belgium's current and former footballing stars and has played an integral role in their growth as a footballer, Eden Hazard, Axel Witsel, Logan Bailly, Guillaume Gillet, Christian Benteke and François Sterchele, to name a few.

Belgium

He began his managerial career in 1999 with Lierneux-based Belgian Fifth Division club, RUS Sartoise. In 2003, he was appointed as the head coach of another Belgian Fifth Division club, Weywertz-based, FC Weywertz. In 2004, he moved to Arlon where he signed a three-year contract with Football Club Jeunesse Lorraine Arlonaise with whom he participated in the Belgian Fourth Division and later helped them get promoted to the Belgian Third Division. Later, in 2007, he moved to Spy where he was appointed as the head coach of Belgian Fourth Division club, RFC Spy on a two-year contract. In 2009, he moved to Hamoir where he worked as the head coach of Belgian Third Division club, Royal Racing Club Hamoir and thus ending his eleven-year long-spell in Belgium as a football manager.

Africa

AS Vita

He first moved out of Belgium as a football manager in 2010 to the African continent and more accurately to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where on 26 August 2010, he was appointed as the head coach of Linafoot club, AS Vita. In his very first season as the head coach of the Kinshasa-based club, he helped them win the 2010 Linafoot finishing at the top just above arch rivals, TP Mazembe and also helped his side win the 2011 Super Coupe du Congo. The Congolese club also reached the Second Round of the 2011 CAF Champions League under the leadership of the Belgian football manager. The Belgian maintained an unbeaten 23-games record with the Kinshasa-based club and later resigned from his position by April 2011.

Missile

In May 2011, he moved to another African country and this time to Gabon where on 1 July 2011, he was appointed as the head coach of Gabon Championnat National D1 club, Missile. He helped the Libreville-based club win the 2010–11 Gabon Championnat National D1, which was the first national title won in the history of the club, thus helping them qualify for the 2012 CAF Champions League and also helped his side reach the First Round of the Round of 16 of the 2011 CAF Confederation Cup where they narrowly lost 0–3 on penalties to Algeria's, JS Kabylie after the tie had ended 3–3 on aggregate. These two particular achievements are the club's best ever achievements in the respective competitions. In the 2011–12 Gabon Championnat National D1, he had also helped his side secure the 4th position, thus ending his one-year spell with the Gabonese club. He also helped a number of players from his squad earn caps for the Gabon national football team, one of whom later signed a two-year contract with Russian Football Premier League club, FC Rostov.

MC Oran

In June 2012, he moved to Algeria where he was appointed as the head coach of Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 club, MC Oran on a one-year-term contract. Later, in September 2012, due to some financial delays he decided to part company with the Oran-based club.

A.F.C. Leopards

In April 2013, he moved to Kenya where he signed a short-term contract with Kenyan Premier League club, A.F.C. Leopards. He took charge of the club in April 2013 when the club was struggling at the bottom of the table to avoid relegation to the Kenyan National Super League but by August 2014, the Belgian football manager helped the Nairobi-based club secure the 2nd position in the 2013 Kenyan Premier League, thus helping them qualify for the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup and also helped them win the 2013 FKF President's Cup.

Rayon Sports

In September 2013, South African club, Orlando Pirates reached an agreement with the Belgian football manager, but later the deal failed to materialize and as a result.
On January 2014, he moved to Rwanda where he was appointed as the head coach of Rwanda National Football League club, Rayon Sports F.C.. During his short-spell with the club, his side participated in the 2014 CAF Champions League where they lost on away goals rule to the Republic of the Congo's, AC Léopards. He was praised for his impressive work in Rwanda as he helped his side secure 34 points out of 39 in the second leg of the 2013–14 Rwanda National Football League. He resigned as the club's head coach on 30 June 2014, helping his side secure the 2nd position in the 2013–14 Rwanda National Football League.

JS Kairouan

In July 2014, he moved to Tunisia where he was appointed as the head coach of Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 club, JS Kairouan. He helped his side secure the 8th position in the 2013–14 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 which was the club's best ever performance in the top division of the Tunisia in the past ten years.

Al-Nasr

En novembre, il rejoint le club d'Al NASR Salalah, évoluant dans le Sultanat d'Oman, avec un contrat jusqu'à la fin de la saison, le club était mal classé. Luc Eymael par son travail réalisera un bon parcours à la tête des Omanais. AL MERREIKH SOUDAN rachète alors le contrat du technicien belge et il y signe fin décembre 2015. AL MERREIKH vient de faire la demi finale de la Champions League Africaine. Le coach Belge amène finalement le Club à la 2eme position du RANKING Africain donc 2 ème meilleur club du Continent Africain..

Al-Merrikh

On 21 December 2015, he again made a move to North Africa and this time to Sudan where on 23 December 2015, he signed a one-year contract with African giants, Al-Merrikh SC. He began his 2016 Sudan Premier League campaign on 27 January 2016 with a 2–0 win over Merrikh Kosti at the Al-Merrikh Stadium. He helped the Sudanese side qualify for the Second Round of the 2016 CAF Champions League where they narrowly lost on aggregate to Algerian side, ES Sétif. His side was narrowly eliminated on a 2-1 aggregate in the Play-off round of the 2016 CAF Confederation Cup by Moroccan side, Kawkab Marrakech. In all the competitions played by the Sudanese club under the Belgian manager, they managed to win 17 games and played out 3 draws in a total of 22 ties.

Polokwane City

Luc Eymael spent eight months working at Polokwane City, he found it struggling and every year lamenting at the bottom halve of the league fighting relegation battle. The Belgian tactician joined Rise and Shine at the start of the season, helped Polokwane city to end the first half of the campaign in fifth position in the league, the first time the club has reached that high, which made them title hopefuls. He then resigned with rumours citing he is going to join Bloemfontein celtic.

Free State Stars

On 24 August 2017, Eymael joined South African Premier Soccer League club Free State Stars, taking over from Sammy Troughton.In 2018, Eymael guided them to their first cup final in 24 years after they beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 in the Nedbank Cup semifinal on 21 April 2018, and then took them to their first title, winning the final 1-0 against Maritzburg United.
On 12 November 2018, the Belgian tactician resigned from his position as the manager of Ea Lla Koto following a second straight loss in the league with a 1-0 defeat at home against SuperSport United F.C.

Tala el Geish

On the 22 th of November Luc Eymael signed a new contract in the premier Egyptian league with Tala el Geish club, and The 1st of June he finished his contract with Tala El Geish. He finished the league at the position number 8 He managed 20 games he won 8 draw 6 lost 6.

Black Leopards

On 1st of October 2019 Luc Eymael signed at Black Leopards in PSL in South Africa.
Luc Eymael resigns from his position with the Black Leopards of South Africa for personal reasons after having classified them in the top 8.

Yanga young Africans

This January 9, 2020, an hundred photographers were waiting for him at Dar or Salaam Airport. Luc Eymael signs on June 10 in Tanzania to Yanga young Africans. One of the most popular clubs in the country

Yanga young Africans

This January 9, 2020, an hundred photographers were waiting for him at Dar or Salaam Airport. Luc Eymael signs on June 10 in Tanzania to Yanga young Africans. One of the most popular clubs in the country

Racists Remarks While Working With Yanga

Just in less than 2 weeks after Luc Eymael started working with Yanga, he blamed one of the Tanzania Premier League Referees of racism, a statement that shocked almost everyone since it's something new in the country that had several White coaches before Luc Eymael. Even with Yanga, Luc Eymael wasn't the first White coach to ever coach the club.
However, almost 6 months later Luc Eymael revealed his true face of possible racism elements after his voice note was widely leaked on social media giving uncivilized, non-sports, and racists remarks against Yanga fans and the country as a whole.
In a said voice note, Luc Eymael is heard saying, among other things:-
"...On such kind of pitches... of the level of 7 or eight division of Europe, is not for me. With fans who are only shouting, I'm not enjoying your country. You're uneducated people, I don't have a car... what's that? I don't have Wi-Fi, I don't have DStv... no, non. no; working in these conditions isn't for me. My wife is not happy. She's disgusted. I'm disgusted. The only pleasure that I have is because the pitches are full when we're playing, full of our fans but these fans don't know anything about soccer. Today, the striker Molinga... didn't bring any danger. I put Yikpe on the ring... he fights, he gives us run, he gives force, and he gives everything. And the fans were shouting on Yikpe, to take Yikpe out. They don't understand when I took one holding midfielder out to put a second striker; they didn't understand. They're completely stupid in this country. They can only shout like monkeys, it's like monkeys. ."
Following the above irritating remarks by Luc Eymael, the statement angered many Tanzanians, .

Achievements as manager

Honors