Following Belgium’s World Cup defeat to Morocco, Thibaut Courtois has denied reports that Eden Hazard, Jan Vertonghen, and Kevin De Bruyne got into a heated dispute.
Courtois on bust-up reports and if there is a mole in the camp
After rumours of irreparable conflicts between a few players surfaced, Courtois publicly denied there was a breach in the team.
“No one is delighted at the moment, but we believe we will win on Thursday to advance. We’re going to give it our all, but since it’s football, anything might happen.”
“We are upset about the outcome in the locker room and outraged that we lost. We are also speaking after the game. The media have overstated the crisis.”
When asked if there was a mole in the camp, Courtois said it was foolish to consider that possibility, but he also conveyed a warning.
“Aside from the players, we work with many people; perhaps someone mentioned something. The individual who spoke doesn’t need to be found. His last day on the team will be if we discover him.”
🎙| Thibaut Courtois: “We don’t have an ‘age issue’. At Real Madrid, we have Modrić and Benzema. It’s too easy to make excuses.” #rmalive
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) November 29, 2022
Hazard, an attacker for Real Madrid, denied any significant problems.
“Everything said has been exaggerated; it wasn’t a huge deal. In our meeting yesterday, we covered a wide range of topics. We now want to defeat Croatia. We must be prepared.”
What are the reports saying?
Diario AS references L’Equipe in their claim that on Monday, the Belgium squad held crisis talks to resolve tension ahead of their final group game against Croatia. Romelu Lukaku is acting as the chief mediator in the matter.
It further states that following Belgium’s World Cup loss to Morocco, Eden Hazard, Jan Vertonghen, and Kevin De Bruyne got into a heated dispute.
Romelu Lukaku reportedly had to separate Jan Vertonghen, De Bruyne, and Hazard in the locker room following the loss.
Star midfielder De Bruyne stated in an interview with The Guardian that they could not win the World Cup, making statements before the competition that appear to have caused a stir in the Belgian camp: “There’s no way. We’re too old.”
🚨 The harmony in the Belgian squad is completely broken between several players. 😳
Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne no longer speak to each other. And it’s the same for Eden Hazard with Leandro Trossard and Romelu Lukaku with Michy Batshuayi! 😬
(Source: @rtlinfo ) pic.twitter.com/rMP2uM3ITr
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) November 29, 2022
Eden Hazard, the captain of Belgium, threw fuel to the fire by declaring, “To be frank, I think we had a greater chance to win four years ago” before the match against Morocco.
Vertonghen held back his rage after the game, saying, “There’s so much running through my mind right now, things I shouldn’t say in the open air.”
However, Vertonghen added in jest, “Where did things go wrong? We likely also attack poorly because we are too old; undoubtedly, that is the case presently.”
The repercussions from this have been interesting; for instance, Dries Mertens’ wife claimed that a team barbecue held hours following the defeat against Morocco was unsurprisingly “awkward.”
“It felt embarrassing,” Kat Kerkhofs said on the MID MID MONDIAL show. “Logically, the players were still troubled.”
She did acknowledge that the news of an altercation in the changing room was unexpected.
