Yannick Carrasco says the Belgium squad are “disappointed” with Thibaut Courtois’ comments about a national captaincy dispute.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has claimed he is “very dissatisfied” with Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco after he indicated he would not go to Estonia with the Red Devils for Tuesday’s Euro 2024 qualifier. Tedesco said that Romelu Lukaku would lead the team against Austria, which they drew 1-1, and that the 31-year-old will captain the team against Estonia. Yet, according to the former RB Leipzig manager, Courtois departed the group because he was “offended” by the decision. Tedesco’s “partial and subjective depiction of a private chat” was criticised by the stopper, who claimed he departed the squad due to a knee ailment. Yannick Carrasco, a fellow Belgian international, has now spoken out.
WHAT THEY SAID: Carrasco told journalist Manuel Jous, via RTBF: “We’ve more or less understood what happened. We had a meeting with the coach, who was clear with us. We, the older players, haven’t yet had the opportunity to speak with Thibaut. But we were disappointed with his reaction.
“At the end of the day, he’s a key member of the team, one of the three captains. An armband is just a detail. You have to show that you’re a leader and a captain with your own personality. He chose to leave. Whether he was embarrassed or not, we don’t know. But one of the reasons he left was also the armband. Now that’s clear.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen said this turn of events was a “sad situation“, adding their preparations had been “disrupted”. As a result, Strasbourg keeper Matz Sels started in Courtois’ place as they beat Estonia 3-0 in Tallinn. The result means they sit three points behind Group F leaders Austria, but they have a game in hand. This is not the first time there has been friction in Belgium’s camp as there was in-fighting at the 2022 World Cup, where they exited at the group stage, as well.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty Images
(C)Getty images
WHAT NEXT? The national stars will now enjoy their summer breaks after a gruelling season, before returning to Euro 2024 qualifying action with games against Azerbaijan and Estonia in September.
