Peter Maes

Peter Maes (born 1 June 1964) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Eerste Divisie club Willem II.

Prior to Willem II, he also managed Beerschot VA in the Belgian First Division A, KV Mechelen and Genk.

Career
In May 2020, Lommel S.K. parted ways with coach Maes. The club announced that they were looking for a new head coach.

In December 2020, the STVV team welcomed 56-year-old Peter Maes as its new head coach. Maes, who had been a goalkeeper with Lommel SK, R.S.C. Anderlecht, Waasland-Beveren and Standard Liège, among others, decided to enter the coaching job after his active career as a player. Maes was named coach of the year in 2014. Popular throughout the country, the coach played with Guy Hellers at Standard de Liège from 1996 to 1998. Maes also won two Belgian Cups in 2012 and 2014.

On 20 May 2021, Beerschot revealed Maes as their new head coach, with a contract extending until 2024. However, his tenure ended abruptly with his dismissal in September 2021.

On 16 September 2023, Eerste Divisie side Willem II introduced Maes as their new head coach, succeeding the departed Reinier Robbemond. Maes marked the club's first-ever Belgian head coach and his first coaching venture abroad. Under Maes' guidance, the team secured victories in their initial four matches, notably boosted by the contributions of Jeremy Bokila, who netted eight of the team's fourteen goals during this period. Maes also set a precedent by becoming the first Willem II coach to achieve wins in his first three matches.

Investigation
In October 2018, Maes, coach of the Belgium national football team K.S.C. Lokeren, was arrested for corruption in Belgian football. After Ivan Leko, Maes is the second coach to be imprisoned in this case

In July 2023, Maes reached a settlement with the federal prosecutor's office, agreeing to pay a fine to the tax authorities and to the public prosecutor's office as well as repaying any money shown to have been unlawfully earned. This concluded his portion of the investigation and cleared the way for his return to managing football.

Honours
Lokeren
 * Belgian Cup: 2011-12, 2013-14
 * Champion 2023-24 Eerste Divisie Netherlands