Craig Bellamy has damaged his standing with Wales supporters and the FAW after his proposed move to Burnley collapsed, former team-mate Iwan Roberts has said.
Roberts, who played alongside Bellamy for both Wales and Norwich City, believes the situation has created a deeply awkward dynamic for all parties involved.
“The association and Noel Mooney know that Bellamy is looking at other jobs and has had his head turned by the links to Burnley,” Roberts said.
Roberts did not hold back in assessing the damage caused, warning that Bellamy’s reputation among supporters has taken a significant hit as a result of the failed approach.
“He’s lost a lot of love and faith among the fans and I would think he’s burnt a lot of bridges,” Roberts told S4C’s Newyddion.
FAW chief executive Noel Mooney moved to ease concerns, telling the BBC’s Politics Wales programme that Bellamy is “absolutely committed” to the Wales role and is expected to continue.
Bellamy, 46, was previously assistant to Vincent Kompany at Burnley between 2022 and 2024 and also had a brief spell as caretaker manager at Turf Moor.
Burnley had approached the FAW with a view to appointing the former forward as successor to Scott Parker, who was sacked in April.
The breakdown in negotiations is understood to be unrelated to compensation owed to the FAW, with Bellamy’s backroom staff arrangements thought to have been a key sticking point.
Bellamy was appointed Wales head coach in 2024 and holds a contract running until 2028, with Euro 2028 on home soil a stated ambition for the former Liverpool and Manchester City forward.
Roberts believes the episode will weigh heavily on the dressing room, with players now aware their manager had been willing to walk away from the national team role.
“The players will know that if he’d had the chance he would have left and gone to Burnley,” Roberts added, reflecting on the awkward position Bellamy now finds himself in.
“That after saying this was the best job in the world and how much he was looking forward to leading Wales into the next Euros,” Roberts continued, highlighting the apparent contradiction in Bellamy’s actions.
Former Wales striker Malcolm Allen, speaking on BBC Radio Cymru, said he understood why Burnley’s day-to-day managerial responsibilities appealed to Bellamy, but acknowledged the situation is now uncomfortable.
“The problem, when he comes back with his tail between his legs because he hasn’t got the job with Burnley, is how Wales fans will respond to this,” Allen said.
Allen also pointed to the financial pressures bearing down on the FAW following Wales’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, warning Bellamy faces a significant challenge to win fans back.
“The situation financially is that the FAW don’t have a lot of money at the moment after we missed out on the World Cup,” Allen added, underlining the stakes involved for everyone concerned.
Another Welsh icon, Gareth Bale, noted it would have been a major blow for Wales to lose Bellamy, while Allen was clear that the only route back to public favour runs through results on the pitch.
“So he will have to win those fans over and the only way to do that will be to win games,” Allen concluded, with Euro 2028 now the defining opportunity for Bellamy to silence his critics.
