Raymond Goethals
Raymond Goethals (7 October 1921 – 6 December 2004) was a Belgian association football manager noted for his tactical acumen and success in leading underdog teams to major triumphs, most prominently Olympique de Marseille to the 1993 UEFA Champions League title.[1][2][3]
Goethals began his career as a goalkeeper for Daring Club de Bruxelles before transitioning to management, where he coached the Belgium national team from 1966 to 1972, achieving third place at the 1972 UEFA European Championship.[4][5] He later secured domestic league titles with clubs including Standard Liège, RSC Anderlecht, and FC Girondins de Bordeaux, earning a reputation for innovative strategies that earned him the nickname "Raymond la Science."[6][7]
Despite his accomplishments, Goethals' legacy includes involvement in the 1984 Belgian match-fixing scandal at Standard Liège, where the club bribed opponents to secure the league title; he received a lifetime ban from Belgian football, later reduced on appeal.[5][8][9] He was not implicated in the separate 1993 bribery scandal that tainted Marseille's Ligue 1 title following their European success.[3]