Thibaut Courtois has played down reports of a bust-up in the Belgium camp and says the person responsible for leaking the ‘fake news’ would be ostracised from the team if discovered.
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The Red Devils are facing the possibility of being dumped out of the World Cup in the group stage after losing 2-0 against Morocco and will be eliminated if they lose or even draw with Croatia, depending on other results.
That defeat was accompanied by reports of unrest in the squad, with Jan Vertonghen aiming a little dig at Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard after they both criticised their team-mates and said they were ‘too old’ and ‘not the quickest’.
French newspaper L’Equipe claimed things escalated in the dressing room after the game and Romelu Lukaku had to pull the trio apart.
But Courtois has rubbished claims of a bust-up between the players after the Morocco defeat – though they did hold a clear-the-air meeting on Monday – and says if the mole who leaked that report is discovered they will not remain part of the squad.
Speaking at a press conference from Belgium’s training camp on Tuesday, the Real Madrid shot-stopper said: ‘Yesterday, during the meeting, we said things openly.
‘Nothing happened in the locker room after the game against Morocco. The coach just spoke for a few minutes.
‘For me, there is no problem in the team. This complicated situation brings us together, it brings us closer.
‘Things have been written but they are false. The main problem is perhaps seeing articles or headlines in the press or on social media where we did not specifically say that or the title is taken out of context.
‘It is not always the players who release information to elsewhere. We don’t know who said those things, there are a lot of people around the team too [who could have leaked it].
‘In any case, there is no problem. It’s not the truth. We are a family. ‘If we find out who said those false things to the press, it will probably be their last day in the squad.
‘It was important to say things face-to-face in the meeting. You have to be honest because we fight for each other on the pitch – I don’t think that was missing in the group.’
On De Bruyne’s claim that some of Belgium’s players are too old, Courtois added: ‘The words about the age of our defence? Luka Modric proves that age has no link with performance. Look at Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s the same.’
