Belgian football goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has announced that he will not play for the national team under current coach Domenico Tedesco.
The 32-year-old Real Madrid player has had a dispute with the Italian coach since June 2023, for which he was also absent from Belgium’s nomination for this year’s EURO.
“I feel honored to have had the honor of wearing the national jersey and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would do it more than a hundred times.
“Unfortunately, after the events with coach Tedesco and after much consideration, I have decided not to return to the national team under his leadership,” said Courtois, who has 102 caps for Belgium.
The strained relations started after last June, in the absence of the injured Kevin De Bruyne, striker Romelu Lukaku wore the captain’s armband instead of Courtois.
“I accept my share of responsibility in this matter. Looking to the future, however, my trust in him would not contribute to maintaining the necessary positive atmosphere.
I am sorry that I may have disappointed some fans, but I believe that this is the best course of action for Belgium.
This closes the discussion and the team can focus on achieving their goals. Thank you for your unwavering support and understanding,” Reuters quoted Courtois as saying.
The Belgians under the leadership of Tedesco did not win the European championship in Germany. They started it with an unexpected loss against Slovakia (0:1) and after progressing from the group, they crashed in the round of 16 against the French (0:1).
Even before the EC, Tedesco signed an extension of his contract until the end of July 2026.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
