frictions with players are decisive, from Courtois to Lukaku

Domenico Tedesco he is no longer the Technical Commissioner of Belgium despite the Italian coach having a contract until the summer of 2026. The Belgian Football Federation decided to dismiss him after months of analysis and reflections which led to the final choice: poor results but above all misunderstandings, considered incurable, with several players whose some they preferred to give up the national team or threatened to do so.

Tedesco’s dismissal decided some time ago: there was an agreement with Sergio Conceiçao

For Domenico Tedesco the adventure on the bench of the Belgian Red Devils it was already over a long time ago: the Football Federation had made it clear that the working relationship with the Italian coach had deteriorated to such an extent that it could no longer continue. AND now the final decision has arrived: next March, when he starts playing internationally again, he will no longer be on the Belgian bench. The replacement has not yet been decided, although work is in full swing: it could have been Sergio Conceiçao with whom an overall agreement was reached on everything in December, before the former Porto player was chosen for Milan.

Tedesco’s Belgium: European Championship nightmare, Nations League embarrassing

Domenico Tedesco’s position has become untenable during his tenure. Too many disappointments on the field with completely insufficient results, with a European Championship to forget and a Nations League to cancelculminating in the humiliating defeat against Israel. An undignified score considered embarrassing for a national team despite being rich in talent: it finished in third place in the Nations group with four defeats in six games and in Belgium’s last 10 matches, Tedesco has only brought home victories against Romania and Israel.

Courtois excluded by Tedesco at the European Championships, renounces the national team

But it was the constants who made the fateful pot of patience overflow in the Football Federation relationships always on edge with different playersincluding some of the highest level, which have dotted Tedesco’s work since he has been on the bench since February 2023. Among these, one name in particular, Thibeaut Courtois today goalkeeper for Real Madridwho was excluded from the last European Championships, opening a controversy that continues to this day and which pushed the player to refuse any call-up from the Italian coach, with enormous disapproval from the fans.

The controversy in the Nations League, Lukaku asks not to be called up

But the terrible relationship with Courtois, on which Tedesco never wanted to take a step back, was only the tip of the iceberg with those equally compromised with other players who never fully digested the appointment of the Italian on the bench. There have been many episodes in this regard which have involved champions of the level of Lukaku and De Bruyne. With the current Napoli striker, the friction came to the surface during the last Nations League where it was Big Rom who asked not to be called up to the national team, with Tedesco telling the story behind the scenes in the conference, opening a hole.

De Bruyne’s threat to leave the national team and Tedesco’s response

Like the one with De Bruynedating back to November when Belgium emerged humiliated from the match against France. In that case the midfielder who plays for City expressed his bitterness by criticizing the team’s play, announcing his retirement from the national team. Words that sparked a case in Belgium which risked losing its flag and captain and even in that case, Tedesco did nothing to plug the leak: “Am I worried?” responded to the possibility of losing De Bruyne, “I would say no.”