Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois left the Belgium national team training session after Romelu Lukaku was given the captain's armband for the match against Austria on June 17.
New coach Domenico Tedesco rotated the captain's armband amid midfielder Kevin De Bruyne's injury absence. Accordingly, the 37-year-old coach appointed Lukaku as captain for the draw with Austria in the third round of Group F of the Euro 2024 qualifiers at the Roy Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, while Courtois will take on this role for the away match against Estonia on June 20.
"Courtois is very important for us," Tedesco said at his post-match press conference. "I can't say how much I appreciate Courtois. I spoke to Lukaku and Courtois about the captaincy. Lukaku will keep it against Austria, and Courtois against Estonia."
Courtois stands next to Lukaku - his teammate wearing the captain's armband of the Belgian national team during the 1-1 draw with Austria in Brussels on June 17. Photo: Sipa
But according to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad , Courtois was unhappy with this arrangement, as he was not made captain for his 100th appearance for Belgium. Before the match against Austria at Roy Baudouin, the 31-year-old goalkeeper was given a special souvenir by his fiancée, Israeli supermodel Mishel Gerzig, to mark the milestone.
Courtois reportedly got angry and clashed with some teammates in the dressing room after the match, and did not appear at the hotel - where the Belgian team is staying - the following day. The Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has not officially commented on Courtois' absence. But according to Het Nieuwsblad , the RBFA will explain that the Real Madrid goalkeeper withdrew due to a minor injury.
Reserve goalkeeper Matz Sels could start in place of Courtois against Estonia today, with Koen Casteels ruled out. Coach Tedesco could also give Thomas Kaminski or Arnaud Bodart a chance.
Courtois made his Belgium debut in a 0-0 friendly draw with France in 2011, and has now made 102 appearances. Lukaku made his international debut in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Croatia in 2010, and has now scored 73 goals in 107 appearances. Both have been part of Belgium's golden era, but have failed to win any major honours. Their best achievement was a bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup.
Tedesco - who has previously coached Schalke 04, Spartak Moscow and RB Leipzig - was appointed Belgium coach to replace Roberto Martinez in February 2023, with a contract until Euro 2024. In his first three matches under Tedesco, Belgium beat Sweden 3-0, drew 1-1 with Austria in Euro 2024 qualifying and beat Germany 3-2 in a friendly.
Internal conflict was the problem that caused Belgium to be eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup - the last tournament under Martinez. Kevin De Bruyne said Belgium could not win the championship because the squad was too old, while Eden Hazard criticized the team's defense for not being agile enough. Then, center-back Jan Vertonghen fired back at his teammates. "Maybe Belgium's attack is bad because the attack is too old," the 35-year-old defender replied with a smirk to the microphone of Sporza .
Hong Duy
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