Thibaut Courtois 'refuses to report for Belgium duty' after Romelu Lukaku spat

19 June 2023 , 09:51

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Thibaut Courtois failed to report for training

Thibaut Courtois has failed to report for Belgium training after he was snubbed for the captaincy, according to reports.

Regular skipper Kevin De Bruyne was absent for the draw with Austria on Saturday night and, in his place, Romelu Lukaku was handed the armband. Boss Domenico Tedesco had planned to give the goalkeeper the captaincy for the upcoming game with Estonia, but that plan has now been thrown into jeopardy.

Courtois, it has been claimed, was left fuming by his recent snub and failed to report to the team's hotel as they prepare for their next Euro 2024 qualifier, according to Het Nieuwsblad. Tedesco revealed he had a conversation with his goalkeeper and Lukaku about them sharing the armband.

He said on Saturday night: "Thibaut Courtois is very important to us. I can't tell you how much I appreciate him. On Saturday I had a conversation with Romelu and Thibaut about the captaincy. Against Austria it was Lukaku, against Estonia, Thibaut gets the credit. It is important to us that he feels valued."

The saga comes just days after the Real Madrid goalkeeper was honoured for reaching 100 Belgium caps, with the goalkeeper receiving a small trophy for the achievement. His fiancee Mishel Gerzig also handed him a gift pitchside.

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Courtois recently highlighted how he had "a lot of respect" for Lukaku despite the pair being at the centre of the spat. The shotstopper was backing the striker in the Champions League final despite him going up against compatriot De Bruyne. He told Amazon Prime : “I hope Lukaku wins the Champions League. Obviously, it is him up against Kevin De Bruyne, but I’ve known Romelu a bit longer. I have a lot of respect for him."

Romelu Lukaku was handed the armband for Belgium's last outing

Belgium were spared embarrassment against Austria, who are ranked 28 places lower than them, as Lukaku scored a second-half equaliser. After the stalemate Courtois was particularly animated after the contest, taking aim at several of his team-mates.

The goalkeeper is reportedly carrying a knock meaning back-up keeper Matz Sels could deputise for the Real Madrid man. Thomas Kaminski and Arnaud Bodart are also in contention to play. Belgium's Golden Generation, in the eyes of many, have missed the boat as they aimed to deliver an international honour.

Courtois has been a fixture for the Red Devils for a decade but the country's latest failure at the World Cup has led to a brutal post mortem with Roberto Martinez leaving his role as manager. Belgium has consistently fallen short in major tournaments and several of their leading lights will be ageing and beyond their best.

Samuel Meade