There is a crisis in Belgium’s star-studded World Cup squad.
According to L’Équipe, several players refuse to speak to each other and a crisis meeting is said to have been held on Monday.
– There are tensions in the group, coach Roberto Martinez tells RTBF.
Belgium will likely need to beat Croatia to qualify from World Cup Group F.
The bronze medalist of the 2018 tournament did not handle the 2-0 loss to Morocco in the best way, reports the authoritative newspaper L’Equipe.
The French newspaper wrote that there were tensions in the team and that discontent had raged among the players for a long time.
The stars refuse to talk
It is said that many players are enemies and do not talk to each other.
Among them are Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, who have long had a frosty relationship after De Bruyne’s girlfriend at the time was caught cheating on Courtois in February 2013.
Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois haven’t spoken to each other for years for private reasons.Team scraper.
In addition, the duo Michy Batshuayi / Romelu Lukaku are said to be enemies and the duo Eden Hazard / Leandro Trossard do not speak to each other.
Kevin De Bruyne and Jan Verthongen have also sent small passes of criticism to each other in interviews, and Romelu Lukaku is said to have separated the two during a row in the dressing room.
“It’s like being in a family.”
Dissatisfaction with national team captain Roberto Martinez is also said, and Belgium is said to have held a crisis meeting to deal with its problems on Monday.
Martinez admitted there were tensions within the group to Belgian broadcaster RTBF after the loss to Morocco.
– It’s normal. Players have been developing together for a very long time. It’s like a family, if you don’t have tension and disagreements in the family, it’s because you don’t have feelings.
The little joy for Belgium is that star striker Romelu Lukaku can return for the fateful match against Croatia.
– I know what I have to do to bring joy back to the team. We have a few days and if we can overcome this hurdle, I think we will see the full potential of our team in this tournament, says Roberto Martinez.