| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1941-05-05)5 May 1941 (age 83) | ||
| Place of birth | Waasmunster, Belgium | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1979–1981 | Lokeren | ||
| 1981–1982 | Berchem Sport | ||
| 1982–1983 | Beringen | ||
| 1983–1989 | Waregem | ||
| 1990–1993 | Germinal Ekeren | ||
| 1993–1995 | Royal Antwerp | ||
| 1995–1996 | Oostende | ||
| 1996–1998 | Eendracht Aalst | ||
| 1998 | Eendracht Aalst (scout) | ||
| 1998–2004 | Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen (developer) | ||
| 2004–2010 | Ajax (scout) | ||
| 2010–2018 | Anderlecht (developer) | ||
| 2018– | Ajax (scout) | ||
Urbain Haesaert (born 5 May 1941) is a Belgian football scout and former football manager.[1] He started coaching atLokeren. Together withJosef Vacenovský, he reached thequarter-finals of the1980–81 UEFA Cup with Lokeren, and was vice-champion of Belgium, placing second behind Anderlecht in the1980–81 Belgian First Division.
After bringingBeringen to the First Division A in 1983, Haesaert moved toWaregem. He was able to turn Waregem into a competitive club, and in 1986 he reached thesemi-finals of theUEFA Cup with the club.
In 1998 Haesaert quit with managing and became Director of Training atGerminal Beerschot, while in 2004 he became a scout forAjax.[2] His discoveries, brought from his former club Beerschot to Ajax, includeThomas Vermaelen,Toby Alderweireld,Tom De Mul andJan Vertonghen. In 2010 he became scout for Anderlecht, playing a role in the discovery of other football talents there, and by 2018 he was back at Ajax.
Haesaert was born inWaasmunster,East Flanders,Belgium, on 5 May 1941.[3]
Haesaert started as assistant coach toUrbain Braems at KSK Beveren in the 1970s. The club won theBelgian Cup in 1978.
In 1978 Haesaert started working for KSC Lokeren in the first division. He was again Braems' assistant. Afterwards, he became first coach, forming a trainer duo with CzechoslovakJosef Vacenovský. Lokeren, led by Haesaert and Vacenovsky, surprisingly finished fourth in theBelgian First Division, giving the East Flemish club a European ticket. A season later, Lokeren performed even better. The duo led Lokeren to the final of the Belgian Cup and to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. Further, the club finished second behindR.S.C. Anderlecht in the national championship. In 1981 Robert Waseige succeeded Haesaert, who moved to second divisionBerchem Sport.[4]
Berchem had just been relegated and went looking for promotion. Soon, however, Haesaert exchanged the club for first division teamBeringen F.C. Beringen was in a difficult situation and Haesaert was brought in as the replacement forHans Croon in the course of the season. Nonetheless, the club finished last but one and was relegated. In his second, and first full season at Beringen, Haesaert brought the club back to the first division, by placing fourth in thechampionship and then winning thepromotion round.
In 1983,K.S.V. Waregem chose Haesaert as the successor of managerSándor Popovics. He introduced new training techniques so that the smaller Waregem in terms of budget could still compete with the bigger clubs. Players likeDanny Veyt,Philippe Desmet,Alain Van Baekel and the brothersLuc andMarc Millecamps became the banners of the successful Waregem.
In its home country, the club grew into a worthy middle class. In 1986, Haesaert managed to lead his team to thesemi-finals of theUEFA Cup. BothA.C. Milan andOsasuna were knocked out by Waregem that year.[5] Haesaert himself was namedFootball Manager of the Year at the end of the season.
During the 1989/90 season, Haesaert was fired and replaced by Marc Millecamps, pending a new coach.
After a short period without a club, he was introduced in the summer of 1990 as the new manager ofGerminal Ekeren, replacingRené Desaeyere. Together with players such asPhilippe Vande Walle,Mike Verstraeten,Didier Dheedene andEddy Snelders, he formed the basis for the successes that the club would achieve in the late 1990s. Haesaert himself stayed with Germinal Ekeren for three seasons.
Haesaert next moved toAntwerp. In his first season at Antwerp he placed fifth, achieving the qualification to the UEFA Cup. He and the club parted ways the next season.
After his early departure from Antwerp, KV Oostende attracted the trainer. Ostend had just dropped to the Second Division and hoped to return to the highest level soon. The club lost in the promotion round. Nevertheless, Ostend had an excellent season. However, Haesaert left the club at the end of the season.
In 1996 Aalst fell to the bottom of the standings, firing coachJan Ceulemans. Haesaert succeeded him and managed to save the club by avoiding relegation that season. After avoiding relegation again next season he left the club.
After his dismissal from Eendracht Aalst, a few clubs again offered themselves, but Haesaert decided to quit as a football manager. He subsequently became Director of Training atGerminal Beerschot, a club that resulted from the merger of his ex-club Germinal Ekeren and Beerschot VAV.[5] Haesaert's policy increased the quality of the youth academy and he was praised for his insight. During that period, the club also began to work closely withAjax, so that many of Beerschot's youth players eventually came to Ajax. Notable examples includeThomas Vermaelen,Toby Alderweireld,Tom De Mul andJan Vertonghen.[5][6]
In 2004 Haesaert's contract expired and he had the intention to leave the football environment. However,Leo Beenhakker, who was technical director of Ajax until 2003, had advised him against this.Louis van Gaal subsequently succeeded Beenhakker as technical director. Together with chairman Arie van Eijden, Van Gaal brought the 63-year-old Haesaert to Ajax. During his time at Ajax Beerschot's players likeJan Vertonghen,Toby Alderweireld, andTom De Mul were brought to the Dutch club, where they became important players.[7] Haesaert had also advised Ajax to getMousa Dembélé,[7] and had alsoKevin De Bruyne andEden Hazard on his list.[7]
In March 2010 it was announced that Haesaert would work for RSC Anderlecht from July 2010.[8] During his time at Anderlecht he was involved with the discoveries of the likes ofYouri Tielemans,Dennis Praet, andLeander Dendoncker.[7]
In 2018 he was back at Ajax as a scout.[9]
Lokeren
Waregem
Individual