"Club made it clear from the start: Kompany is player-manager"

INTERVIEWS Gunther Van Handenhoven, the former team manager of Anderlecht, was a guest at Extra Time last night. He spoke about Vincent Kompany's role within the club and about his resignation. A resignation that he felt himself coming: "You feel it when they no longer need you."
 


Van Handenhoven explains the role of Kompany in Extra Time: "From the beginning, the club made it clear that Kompany would become a player-manager. He was also present at the training sessions as a player, but also stopped the training to give directions. And he was also allowed to do that in his role as a manager based on the English model. "

Team line-up

There have been many questions about the team setup in recent weeks. Van Handenhoven, too, cannot say for certain whether Kompany actually set up the team on paper: "When it was time to do the team line-up, the office door closed for me. Kompany led the project, that is clear, but whether he made all decisions. Not that no, he had a staff around him for that ".

Resignation

Marc Coucke has already put several people from the old board and management at the door. Van Handenhoven does not think that he was dismissed for the same reason. "I have felt my resignation coming a little. Of course I am disappointed. But I have been walking around for so long, at some point you feel that they no longer need you."

"Kompany and Verschueren told it to me in an open and honest conversation. They did not say that I had to leave because I am still from the previous regime. Of course much has changed in recent months. But I don't think that this was the deciding factor argument, otherwise it would be unfortunate. "