Goalkeeper in Belgium Koen castles left the national team to protest against the imminent return to the rival team Thibaut Courtois.
Casteels was the first choice of Belgium in the past 18 months, while Courtois refused to play after a spit with former coach Domenico Tedesco, but with Belgium appointing Rudi Garcia as coach in January, Courtois said he was ready to come back.
“It is strange that the football association reached 180 degrees and deployed the red carpet and welcomed it with open arms,” the Belgian podcast podcast on the Belgian podcast.
Courtois refused to play under Tedesco after a row on the captain in mid-2023 and it was the casteels who kept a goal in the European championship of last year in Germany, where Belgium was eliminated in the round of 16.
Casteels, who spent most of his career in the Bundesliga but who is now playing in Saudi Arabia, was the long-standing sub-study of Courtois.
Courtois, 32 years old, with 102 caps and evaluated one of the best world football goalkeepers, has since met Garcia and last month said that he wanted to return to the national team.
“First of all, I think it is a bit strange that Courtois can decide by himself if he can come back,” said Casteels.
“It is not so much for Thibaut, but mainly towards the football association. This does not correspond to the standards and values that I have on what a team sport or a sports organization should have.
“To date, I am no longer available (for the national team),” he added.
