The issue of Thibaut Courtois keeps football-loving Belgium busy on Tuesday morning. Former international Marc Degryse only sees losers, but suspects that national coach Domenico Tedesco will try to mend the break.
Courtois detonates ‘serious bomb’
Courtois left the camp of the Belgian national team furious on Sunday evening, incensed that he, but Romelu Lukaku, was not wearing the captain’s armband in the European Championship qualifying match against Austria in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne. According to Belgian media, the 31-year-old goalkeeper of Real Madrid has been disturbed for some time by the lack of professionalism at the football association (RBFA) and does not feel as appreciated in his own country as in Madrid, where he is adored.
The fact that Tedesco does not grant him the captain’s armband as a tribute to his hundredth international match is the proverbial straw. Courtois initially holds back, but leaves De Rode Duivels like a thief in the night on Sunday evening. Tedesco’s attempt to clarify the whole riot during a press conference also goes down the wrong way with the aspiring keeper. On Instagram, Courtois expresses his dissatisfaction on Monday evening and fencing with an inflamed knee as the reason for his absence.
Het Laatste Nieuws writes in a reconstruction that this injury was only added late as the reason for Courtois’ cancellation. The tall goalkeeper has been playing with those complaints for some time. “Tedesco does not want to go along with that story and chooses to be honest. The 102-time international does not like that either, but he receives little support in his own country. Not from teammate Jan Vertonghen and not from Degryse, former international and currently an analyst. “Thibaut’s ego is out of whack,” he says.
“There will always be a scar”
After a ‘bizarre Monday’, Degryse only sees losers and agrees with Vertonghen that Courtois has let his teammates down. “He puts Tedesco in a difficult situation,” says the former PSV player. “Whatever the national coach decides, no one will ever benefit from what happened yesterday. Even if you straighten this out in the run-up to the next international matches in September, there will always be a scar,” says Degryse, who suspects that Tedesco will want to straighten things out.
After all, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. “I hope Thibaut realizes that he has made a decision. That really cannot be made,” Degryse concludes at Het Laatste Nieuws. “But I also hope that Tedesco succeeds in bringing Courtois back to the national team. Because I want the best goalkeeper in the world to be under the bar at De Rode Duivels. After his communiqué last night it is clear that it is not a small issue.”
