Courtois threatens to handle 'insiders' in Belgium team

After Belgium lost 0-2 to Morocco in the second leg of Group F 27/11, L'Equipe (France) newspaper reported that Kevin De Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen and Eden Hazard had a scuffle in the dressing room, causing Romelu Lukaku to intervene. However, Courtois denied the above information, and issued a warning to the person spreading the story. "The problem is that the press reports are not always correct," Courtois told a press conference before the final group stage match against Croatia. "We don't need to know where the announcer is, but if we do, it will be his last day in the national team."

The 30-year-old goalkeeper said that after each loss, it is normal for the players to be angry, but inside information being spread out is unacceptable. "There is no problem in the team," Courtois insisted. "Someone wants us to have internal conflicts. After each defeat, no one is happy, but it will bring the whole team closer together because we know we have to give our best in the next match."

Besides Courtois, the main character in the rumor is midfielder Hazard is said to have talked to reporters to find someone to spread the news, but his offer was rejected. He also confirmed that there was no conflict with Kevin De Bruyne. "Nothing happened in the dressing room," said the Real Madrid star. "Only the head coach spoke. I spoke to Kevin and he believes in the whole team."

The Daily Mail (UK) quoted sources from his wife Dries Mertens, revealing that the Belgian team held a barbecue after the defeat, but the atmosphere was described as "really awkward".

De Bruyne in the Belgian team is the opposite image of him at Man City. In the defeat to Morocco, he lost the ball 27 times, just one less than his own sad milestone in the 0-1 loss to France in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.

Belgium is ranked third with three points, one point behind Croatia and Morocco. They have to beat Croatia tomorrow 1/12 to win tickets to the 1/8 round. "We are a quality team in Group F and come here to win," said Hazard. "We must soon regain confidence in the last passes and dribbles."

Hazard, De Bruyne, Courtois ... are considered the golden generation of Belgian football. They reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup and won the third place respectively. The last time they were eliminated from the group stage was the 1998 World Cup after drawing all three matches against the Netherlands, Mexico and South Korea.