Domenico Tedesco blamed slow traffic from the hotel to the stadium, which in turn impacted his team talk ahead of their dire draw against Ukraine.
The draw, while sufficient to secure Belgium a spot in the last 16 of Euro 2024, left much to be desired in terms of on-field performance.
The Red Devils looked sluggish in attack and their manager came up with a bizarre defence to shield the ineffectiveness of his players and tactics.
Tedesco expressed his frustration with the local organisation, pointing out that the team’s delayed arrival at the stadium disrupted their pre-match preparations.
“We arrived at the stadium in circumstances I never saw before,” Tedesco said.
“It took one hour to come from the hotel with a police escort.
“The road was completely free, but they slowed down to 20-25 kilometres per hour.
“Every traffic light was red.
“I had two minutes to make a preparation talk and we had to reduce the warmup.
“It’s unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable.”
The coach didn’t stop there.
He also pointed to other disruptive factors that he felt undermined his team’s performance, saying: “Everything is happening here.
“Everything is allowed.
“We can have a delay of one hour and not delay the game for 15 minutes.
“There were laser pens being shone in our eyes.
“There were many things in the first game and we still qualified, that’s why I’m so proud of the players.”
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Despite the qualification, Belgium’s supporters expressed their dissatisfaction by booing the team after the final whistle which forced skipper Kevin De Bruyne to haul his team-mates down the tunnel.
Tedesco acknowledged the fans’ reaction, saying: “Of course we are a little bit surprised.
“For us, it was very important to qualify.
“We lost the first game and then things are not that easy, because if you concede one goal you are out.
“I have no message for the fans other than that we need them.”
Read more: Kvaratskhelia Reveals What Ronaldo Told Him Before Georgia Win
As Belgium look ahead to their next match, the stakes are higher than ever.
They will face France, the 2018 World champions, as they aim to progress to the quarter-finals.
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