Belgium’s Men’s Hockey Team Gears Up for European Championship
Belgium is set to debut a fresh men’s hockey team at the forthcoming European Championship in Mönchengladbach, beginning next weekend, marking the start of a “new era.” reports 24brussels.
Following a disappointing quarter-final elimination at the Paris Olympics, where Belgium entered as defending champions, several seasoned players, including Gauthier Boccard, Cédric Charlier, Félix Denayer, Loick Luypaert, Florent van Aubel, and John-John Dohmen, have retired from international play. These veterans were instrumental in Belgium’s achievements, including winning Olympic gold in 2021, silver in 2016, as well as a World Cup title in 2018, a European Championship title in 2019, and success in the FIH Pro League in 2021.
A New Direction
Shane McLeod, who has returned as head coach after the Paris Olympics, has emphasized youth in his squad selection, succeeding Michel van den Heuvel. Notably, the lineup will see a younger goalkeeper in place of the renowned Vincent Vanasch. “It’s a necessary step in the process,” McLeod stated. “His successor, Loic Van Doren, needs to gain experience in order to get as close as possible to Vanasch’s level.”
Simon Vandenbroucke (26) joins the squad as the second-choice goalkeeper, while newcomers such as Guillaume Hellin (24), Lucas Balthazar (19), Thomas Crols (21), and Roman Duvekot (25) represent a younger generation eager to make their mark. “This feels like a dream,” Duvekot expressed. “We’ve all worked incredibly hard over the years, and now we get to play in a major tournament with the Red Lions.”
We’re all hungry for victories
Maxime Van Oost embraced the transition, stating, “A new era has begun. There’s a lot of excitement in the team, and we’re all hungry for victories. There are still many details to iron out, but we’ve already proven that we can beat anyone.” This confidence is bolstered by Belgium’s recent second-place finish in the Pro League, where they were narrowly surpassed by the dominant Dutch team.
Promising Future
Duvekot acknowledged the uncertainties earlier in the year but expressed optimism about the integration of younger players. “But I think the younger players have now been integrated well. This team has great potential.” Arthur De Sloover, now one of the most seasoned players, noted, “We obviously want to win every match and aim for gold, but we also have to be realistic. I’m convinced we should be able to reach the semi-finals, and then we’ll see how far we can go.”
Belgium faces a significant challenge, competing in a difficult group against the Netherlands, currently ranked #1 by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), and Spain, ranked #4, the team that eliminated them from the Olympic quarter-finals. Finishing in the top two of this group will prove to be a daunting task.
We can’t afford any mistakes
“It’s one of the first times that reaching the semi-finals isn’t almost guaranteed for us,” De Sloover admitted. “In previous tournaments, we were clearly among the top two in the group, and it would have taken a major slip-up not to advance. But with both the Netherlands and Spain in our group, it’s three teams battling for two spots. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
He added, “Not being the favourites might actually help. It takes pressure off the younger players. The other teams may also pay less attention to us, which could allow us to catch them off guard.”
The Red Lions will commence their campaign on Saturday at 11:00 against Austria (FIH #19), followed by key matches against the Netherlands on Sunday at 17:15 and Spain on Tuesday.
