Captain armband scandal in Belgium is getting worse

The scandal in the Belgian national team escalates more and more after the public comments of the coach Domenico Tedesco and the starting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

At his press conference before today’s match with Estonia, the Italian specialist confirmed the information in the Belgian press that the experienced keeper decided not to play in the match in question after not receiving the captain’s armband in the 1:1 draw against Austria.

“We all decided together that Romelu Lukaku will be the captain against Austria and Courtois against Estonia. After the match with the Austrians, Courtois suddenly wanted to talk to me and told me that he was going home because he was disappointed and offended,” Tedesco told reporters yesterday.

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Courtois himself answered to that through social media post.

“This afternoon I was surprised to hear the coach’s press conference in which he made a partial and subjective assessment of the conversation we had after the match with Austria. I want to make it clear that this is neither the first nor the last time I have discussed locker room issues with a coach. However, this is the first time someone has decided to say it publicly. I am deeply disappointed by this, but I want to make it clear that the coach’s judgment does not correspond to reality.

In this conversation, I asked him, and not for personal gain, to argue and make some decisions to avoid situations that have harmed us in the past, while always looking at the common good. To be or not to be a national captain is neither a whim nor a simple decision. That choice should be his, and that’s what I tried to tell him. Unfortunately, I didn’t reach my goal. I insist that I have in no way demanded anything and that I have spoken to my team-mate Romelu Lukaku to clarify the circumstances surrounding this decision. In the meantime, I want to make it abundantly clear that I have not had any arguments on such topics with any teammates as alleged. Also, yesterday afternoon I had a checkup for a problem in my right knee. The medical staffs of my club and the national team were in contact and reviewed the relevant material, making the decision to leave the training camp,” Courtois wrote on Instagram.