Belgium have left midfield creator Radja Nainggolan out of their World Cup squad, coach Roberto Martinez said on Monday.
The absence of Nainggolan, who scored twice for AS Roma in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Liverpool this month, was the biggest surprise in the 28-player list that is to be reduced to 23 before the tournament.
Belgium face England, Panama and Tunisia in Group G at the World Cup finals in Russia.
Photo: AFP
The heavily tattooed 30-year-old has played 30 times for his country and is popular with supporters, but his relationship with Martinez has often been strained.
The Spaniard flew out to Italy over the weekend to explain his choice.
Nainggolan later announced he was quitting international soccer.
“Unfortunately and very reluctantly my international career comes to an end,” Nainggolan wrote on Instagram. “I’ve always done everything I could to represent my country. Being yourself can irritate people. From this day on I’ll be the number one fan.”
“It was a sad and difficult decision. He is a player with a lot of class and he was voted Roma’s best player, but I’ve made my decision for purely tactical reasons,” Spanish former Everton manager Martinez said. “I have put in place a specific system that works. I can’t use Radja in a secondary role.”
In Nainggolan’s place, Martinez has picked 21-year-old Youri Tielemans, who has had a low-key season at French club AS Monaco.
The decision to omit Nainggolan was criticized by former Belgium international Philippe Albert.
“We must be the only country in the world to be making the trip without one of the best players in the world. This is not the way to become world champions,” Albert said.
Within hours of the announcement, more than 16,000 Belgium fans had signed a petition demanding Nainggolan be called up.
“Belgium needs Radja to [go] the World Cup in Russia! One of the best and most important players [in] the Belgian team!” a plea on Change.org read. “The coach deprives an entire nation of one of his best players over some differences between himself and the player? This isn’t normal!”
Manchester City’s veteran defender Vincent Kompany was included, as was Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen, despite both being dogged by injuries this season.
Divock Origi, the Liverpool striker who has spent the season on loan at VfL Wolfsburg, was left out.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS