October 11, (THEWILL) – After Belgium’s UEFA Nations League third-place playoff loss to Italy, Thibaut Courtois slammed the footballing authorities, stating that they just “care about their pockets” and warning that players will be injured if the footballing calendar remains so busy.
In the aftermath of the game, Courtois criticised UEFA for making the two teams compete for a bronze medal, calling the match “pointless”.
He was even angrier after his team lost 2-1, blaming the powers that be for their lack of regard for the players’ well-being.
“This game is just a money game and we have to be honest about it,” said Courtois.
“We just play it because for UEFA it’s extra money. Look at how much both teams changed [lineups]. If both teams would have been in the final there would have been other players in the final playing.
“This just shows that we play too many games.”
As the post-match interview progressed, Courtois maintained his criticism, pointing out UEFA and FIFA’s hypocrisy in opposing the Super League.
“They [UEFA] made an extra trophy [UEFA Conference League]… it is always the same,” he said.
“They can be angry about other teams wanting a Super League but they don’t care about the players, they just care about their pockets.
“It’s a bad thing that players are not spoken about. And now you hear about a European Championship and a World Cup every year, when will we get a rest? Never.”
Courtois continued: “So in the end top players will get injured and injured and injured. It’s something that should be much better and much more taken care of.”
“We are not robots! It’s just more and more games and less rest for us and nobody cares about us. Next year we have a World Cup in November, we have to play until the latter stages of June again. We will get injured! Nobody cares about the players anymore.
“Three weeks of holiday is not enough for players to be able to continue for 12 months at the highest level. If we never say anything it [will be] always the same.”
On Sunday afternoon, Italy defeated Belgium 2-1 at San Siro to win the bronze medal of the first ever Nations League.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
