Garcia Under Fire After Pulling Courtois in Belgium’s World Cup Quarter-Final Exit
Rudi Garcia is fighting for his job as Belgium coach following a controversial decision to substitute goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois during Friday’s World Cup quarter-final against Spain — a game Belgium ultimately lost 2-1 in the closing minutes.
According to The Guardian, Courtois picked up a leg twinge but felt he could continue. Garcia disagreed, withdrawing the Real Madrid shot-stopper after 71 minutes in keeping with his stated principle that no player who is less than fully fit will feature under his watch. Replacement Senne Lammens came on but almost immediately became the story for the wrong reasons, spilling a low Pau Cubarsí effort to hand substitute Mikel Merino a tap-in in the 86th minute that sealed Spain’s passage to the semi-finals.
The backlash in Belgium was swift. Commentator Peter Vandenbempt was particularly scathing on Belgian radio, questioning how Garcia could justify removing