Stuttgart police blame Belgians for travel problems
Belgian National Team Coach Domenico Tedesco criticized the police escort to the stadium after the group finale against Ukraine. The authorities defended themselves and accused the Belgian Football Association of refusing to comply with suggestions for appropriate departure times.
The police reacted to Domenico Tedesco's complaint and saw the responsibility for the late arrival of the Belgian team at the EURO match against Ukraine (0:0) with the Belgians themselves. "Already beforehand, the Belgian team and UEFA were informed by the police that a travel time of 40 minutes was not sufficient. The police suggested a travel time of 60 minutes. This was rejected by the Belgian Football Association," said Frank Belz, EM spokesperson of the Stuttgart Police Headquarters, to the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" and the "Stuttgarter Zeitung".
Tedesco criticized the difficult conditions of the journey after the match on Wednesday. "We were escorted to here without blue lights from the police, the streets were completely empty, they drove at 20 or 25 km/h and stopped at every traffic light," the 38-year-old reported after his team had just qualified for the knockout stage of the EURO football championship. We had to shorten the warm-up program and I had hardly any time for my speech, the coach remarked. However, superstar Kevin De Bruyne contradicted this: "This is no excuse."
"From a police perspective, nothing unusual occurred during the escort of the Belgian bus," police spokesperson Belz responded. The bus was indeed three minutes late leaving the team hotel. However: "Communication from Euro GmbH indicated in advance that there should be a time gap between the arrivals of the two teams - to fulfill this requirement, the speed of the Belgian bus was temporarily reduced at times." The reasons for the late arrival were set by the Belgians "themselves through their insistence on a 40-minute travel time."
Sportingly, Tedesco sees his Red Devils, despite a poor group phase, well-prepared for the knockout stage clash against France on Monday (6 pm/ZDF, MagentaTV and live at ntv.de) in Düsseldorf against the Tricolor. "We are here to be part of the best teams. These are the games we look forward to. Everything is possible. We can challenge anyone. We are ready," said the former Bundesliga coach before the K.O. match of the Belgians against France.
However, the team must significantly improve. Even the tough 0:0 in the group finale against Ukraine disappointed the fans. De Bruyne therefore urged his colleagues on their way to the stands to turn around. The midfield star from Manchester City did not want to comment further on the unusual action. "We need these fans, we need them against France," said De Bruyne succinctly. "If the fans boo, that's their right, the players don't understand that," added Tedesco.
In preparation for the International match of the European Football Championship 2024, Domenico Tedesco hopes for smoother travel arrangements for his team, following the difficulties they faced during the group stage. Despite the late arrival at the EURO match against Ukraine due to a disputed travel time, Domenico Tedesco believes that Kevin de Bruyne's Belgian team is well-prepared for the knockout stage, facing France.
