- Courtois sat out the Euros after a spat in with previous coach Domenico Tedesco
- Courtois’ return did not sit well with Koen Casteels, who has quit national team
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Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will make his return for Belgium in Nations League action later this month after being included on Friday in their 26-man squad to face Ukraine in the two-leg Nations League playoff.
Courtois has been absent from the Belgian side for almost two years after a spat in June 2023 with previous coach Domenico Tedesco over the captaincy.
It meant the 32-year-old, who has 102 caps for Belgium, sat out last year’s European Championship but since Tedesco’s sacking, and the appointment of Rudi Garcia as new coach in January, the Real Madrid goalkeeper has had a change of heart.
Friday’s squad announcement marked the first for Garcia, who debuts in charge of the side when they meet Ukraine in the playoff tie. The first leg is in Murcia, Spain next Thursday with the return in Genk on March 23.
Courtois’ imminent return did not sit well with Koen Casteels, who has been first choice goalkeeper in his absence, leading Casteels last Sunday to quit the national team, criticising the decision to accept the former keeper’s wish to return.
Casteels suggested there were other players who were also unhappy with Courtois’ behaviour in the spat with Tedesco.
Thibaut Courtois will make his return for Belgium in Nations League action later this month
Courtois was absent from the national team for almost two years after a spat with previous coach Domenico Tedesco
Courtois’ imminent return did not sit well with Koen Casteels, who has quit the National team
‘It’s strange that the football association has turned 180 degrees and is rolling out the red carpet and welcoming him back with open arms,’ he told Belgian podcast MidMid.
‘I think it’s a bit strange that Courtois can decide for himself whether he can come back.
‘It is not so much towards Thibaut, but mainly towards the football association.
‘That does not fit in with the standards and values that I have about what a team sport or a sporting organisation should have. As of today, I am no longer available [for the national team].’
Questioned at a press conference about whether Courtois would be asked to apologise for his behaviour, Garcia said: “We’re starting with a blank slate.
‘I won’t see the players until Monday, but we’ll talk to the leaders again about what happened. But after that, I’m not going to keep dwelling on what happened years ago. Otherwise we won’t make any progress.”
As for the captaincy, which Kevin De Bruyne took over from Eden Hazard after the 2022 World Cup, Garcia said he was yet to make a decision.
“I have an idea in my head about that. Kevin, Romelu (Lukaku) and Thibaut are definitely candidates. We will see next week who the leaders are,” Garcia added.
