Thibaut Courtois’ decision to leave Belgium’s training camp before a Euro 2024 qualifying match due to not being named captain sent the side into crisis mode on Monday.
Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco said Courtois abruptly departed camp because he did not feel valued within the team, but Courtois refuted Tedesco’s accusations and stated he left the camp due to a knee ailment.
Courtois, 31, participated in Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Austria but informed Tedesco after the game that he would not be available for the encounter in Estonia on Tuesday.
Tedesco said Courtois’ displeasure erupted after striker Romelu Lukaku was awarded the captain’s armband for the game against Austria in the absence of injured usual captain Kevin De Bruyne.
“Together we decided that Romelu would be captain against Austria and Thibaut tomorrow against Estonia,” Tedesco told reporters on Monday.
“That was okay for everyone, but after the match, he [Courtois] suddenly wanted to talk to me and said he was going home because he was disappointed and felt offended.
“From the beginning, I tried to show him the appreciation he deserves. In my eyes, he is the best goalkeeper in the world. I love him as a goalkeeper but also as a human being. I am shocked.”
In a statement, Courtois said he’s “deeply disappointed” with the situation and Tedesco’s “assessments do not fit with reality.”
Courtois said that he had a check-up on Sunday for “a problem in my right knee” and chose to leave the training camp after consulting with the Real Madrid and Belgium medical experts.
Tedesco, who took over as coach from Roberto Martinez following a shock first-round defeat from the World Cup in Qatar last November, refused to speculate on Courtois’ future with the national side.
“It’s not the right time to say anything about that, because we have an important game tomorrow,” he said. “The next games are in September and we will see then.”
