The waters are still very troubled in the Belgian home after the ‘scary’ of Real Madrid’s goal
“You have to prove that you are a leader and a captain with your personality. He chose to leave,” says the colchonero
The Belgian football team experiences its first crisis in the era of Dominic Tedesco on the bench, after the goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois left the concentration knowing thisin the absence of Kevin de Bruyne due to injury, the captain would not be him but the striker Romelu Lukaku.
“We are disappointed with your reaction‘ striker Yannick Carrasco told public broadcaster RTBF afterward the Red Devils’ 0-3 victory over Estonia in qualifying for the 2024 Euro Cup, after drawing at home with Austria 1-1.
Courtois, 31, failed to show up at the Belgian team’s concentration hotel in Tubize (south of Brussels) on Sunday evening and failed to travel to Tallinn for Tuesday’s duel with Estonia. apparently offended because the captain against Austria had been Lukaku, 30 years old and 108 caps for the national team, for 102 as a goalkeeper.
His place in goal in Tallinn was taken by 31-year-old Strasbourg goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Carrasco, the Atlético Madrid winger who inherited Lukaku’s bracelet when the striker was substituted in the 69th minute after scoring twice against Estonia, has criticized the goalkeeper’s attitude towards his team and Real Madrid .
“Eventually, he’s part of the team, He is one of three captains. A bracelet is just a detail. You have to prove that you are a leader and captain with your own personality. He chose to leave. Was he uncomfortable or not, we don’t know. But one of the reasons for his departure was also the bracelet” Carrasco said.
The player explained it the team had held a meeting with the coach about it, but had not yet had the opportunity to speak with Courtois, who for his part assured on social media that his decision was due to physical problems and criticized Tedesco for airing the issue.
The goalkeeper’s attitude annoyed Belgium, where the press blamed the goalkeeper, sometimes asking for sanctions and other times simply an apology.
“Good morning, San Tibú. How would your Holiness like your egg?” headlines today the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws a column on the bracelet crisis.
The text states it Courtois is “the best goalkeeper of all time” but underlines that “it is unacceptable to leave the team and put the national team against the wall because they won’t let you be captain against Austria“, try a”inflated ego”.
According to the newspaper Nieuwsblad, the Federation wants to do everything possible to resolve the problem as soon as possible and is also considering sending a delegation to Madrid to discuss it with Courtois, but before returning to the national team, the goalkeeper should apologize.
The technician, for his part, built bridges and tried to cushion the crisis.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best goalkeeper in the world. I also appreciate him as a human being. For me, nothing has changed, but he made a very difficult decision. I have to let things calm down‘ he said at a press conference on Monday.