Louis van Gaal has admitted he turned down the chance to manage Belgium so that he could continue to receive compensation for being sacked by Manchester United.
In an interview with a Dutch newspaper, Volkskrant, on Tuesday, the 66-year-old said he was motivated by ‘revenge’ in his decision to turn down the role.
After his sacking in July 2016, Van Gaal would have foregone his compensation from Manchester United by taking another a job offer.
“It would have been really great if I had become Belgium national coach, but I was so resentful and vindictive that I let that job go by,” said Van Gaal.
“It was stupid, really, because the sporting value should always come in the first place. That should have been the most important thing. But that’s how I looked at things. It was not about money. It was all about the act of revenge.
“I went for my instinct, not the rational. I just have to live with that. I’ve been a really successful manager, so I don’t want to slag the world of football down. I have had a lot of good times.”
Van Gaal, who was sacked as Manchester United manager just weeks after winning the FA Cup, also criticised the club for how they handled his departure.
“The way Manchester United have treated me was terrible. They have been mean and low, ” he said.
The former Barcelona manager also blamed Manchester United’s former players for criticising his style of management.
In May 2016, Paul Scholes suggested the Dutchman was “not interested in scoring goals” after decided to drop Marcus Rashford for a crucial Premier League game.
“The former players of United started to have a go, saying that I was giving the fans boring football,” added Van Gaal.
“That struck me. It was directed, organised. After a while, I started to think I’m losing my authority this way towards the players. So I had to make concessions in my approach of the players.”
