On Wednesday evening, at the end of the match between Belgium and Ukraine, Kevin De Bruyne and the entire Belgian team come forward to greet the public. In the stands of the Stuttgart stadium, whistles are heard. The captain of Belgium then asks his teammates to return to the locker room. The scene has left its mark. But the confrontation against France is coming and the supporters will all be behind their Red Devils.
The Belgian public is known for its atmosphere, its joie de vivre and its love for its Red Devils, a little less for its whistles at the end of a match where the national team has just qualified for the round of 16 of the competition. Thursday noon, when defender Thomas Meunier appeared before the press, the journalists’ questions mainly revolved around this scene experienced the day before on the pitch of the Stuttgart stadium. “The Devils went to greet the supporters,” recalls the former PSG player who evokes “special reactions” from fans but also commentators in the media.
“Unity is strength”
The player then calls for a “unifying speech” before facing the French neighbor in a direct elimination match. “Belgium’s slogan is strength in unity, it is not in the common interest to create tensions,” Thomas Meunier explains calmly and with a smile to the media.
This sequence helps to reassure and calm the atmosphere around the team. “The post-match against Ukraine is much talked about in Belgium,” continues Manuel Jous, journalist and follower of the Red Devils for RTBF. “I think there is a difference in perception at the beginning of the sequence. Between a public who express their discontent at having experienced a match of very mediocre quality and on the other hand a group of Red Devils who were essentially happy to qualify.”
“The Belgian public is known for being super nice, even internationally,” adds Loic Woos, journalist for WalFoot and present in Stuttgart on Wednesday evening. “These are guys you can’t get angry with. Against Ukraine, we were really fed up with the three matches in the group stage. Yes, I understood the disappointment but to boo the players at This point surprised me.” This frosty relationship between the two camps is unlikely to last. For the match against the France team on Monday evening, everyone will be behind the national team. Qualification is the priority objective of the Red Devils. On the other hand, in the event of poor performance, several debates risk continuing in Belgium.
De Bruyne, a real captain?
The other central point of this sequence is the role played by captain Kevin De Bruyne. “I find that he did not fulfill his role as captain, he was the one who led the group towards the public but upon hearing the whistles and the boos, he asked everyone to return to the locker room,” complete Manuel Jouss. “I think he should have bitten his quid. And even if it was hypocritical, he had to go to this audience and applaud them. It was a bad signal that he gave.”
Some also point out the rather strong reactions of the players in front of the media after the meeting. “The supporters showed their dissatisfaction. What they didn’t like was De Bruyne’s gesture of saying ‘we’re going back without greeting them’. They traveled miles, it cost them money , they were waiting for at least that,” said Philippe Léonard, ex-Belgian defender, in Rothen. But a disenchantment, not at all, they will be present on Monday.”
Other Red Devils fans also believe that Domenico Tedesco should have pushed the players towards the crowd. “I think De Bruyne is going strong and should have simply said to himself ‘OK they are booing us, it’s not cool but we’re going to go and present ourselves for a few seconds’. And here in Belgium, many people believe that De Bruyne is certainly a technical leader, a technical captain, a captain of a level of play but he is perhaps not this captain in terms of aura and speaking in front of a whole group. We had a Vincent Kompany who reflected much more this leader off the pitch, who was really the unifier, the man who allowed this gathering with the supporters. Today, Kevin De Bruyne does not play this role.”
Fortunately for the Red Devils, a crucial and exceptional match is coming this Monday against the Blues. The controversies should subside. A meeting against the neighbor, described as “too noisy” since 2018, and which should allow a sacred union around the national team. A little respite.
Nicolas Pelletier, in Ludwigsburg (Germany)
