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Peter Willems dismissed as CEO of Belgian Football Association after conflict with Pascale Van Damme

Peter Willems has been dismissed as CEO of the Belgian Football Association after a prolonged conflict with federation president Pascale Van Damme, who sought to force his exit.

17 September 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Peter Willems dismissed as CEO of Belgian Football Association after conflict with Pascale Van Damme — Archive photoPhoto: PeterWillemsPW · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Peter Willems has been dismissed as CEO of the Belgian Football Association. This was decided during a virtual board meeting held at 4:30 PM. Few details about the discussion have been released, but the dismissal follows an ongoing conflict between Willems and federation president Pascale Van Damme.

Tensions between the two top figures escalated over the past months, with indications that they had not communicated for quite some time. President Van Damme had formally pushed for Willems' dismissal, which has now been executed.

It is still unclear who will succeed Willems. Vincent Mannaert, currently the technical director, is mentioned as a possible candidate for the role of new CEO. However, no official announcements regarding succession have been made yet.

According to sources, the decision to dismiss Willems was based on a breach of trust between him and Van Damme. This appears to be the primary reason behind his exit.

There are also voices from the Walloon amateur clubs who want discussions to take place before any final decisions are made regarding succession. This could pose an obstacle in the process of appointing a new CEO.

The developments surrounding his dismissal have led to speculation about the future of the Belgian Football Association and how it intends to position itself in the coming years.

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