March 24 – Belgium have switched their March 29 home friendly international with Portugal to the Portuguese city of Leiria because of security fears following the Brussels terrorist attacks.
But manager Marc Wilmots (pictured) says he would have liked the game to have gone ahead on home soil as a defiant stand.
The attacks on Brussels airport and the metro system left at least 31 people dead and 270 more injured.
Wilmots says he understands the decision to move the fixture, but believes it would have been a show of solidarity if the fixture had remained in the Belgian capital.
“I wanted to play in Brussels, at home, because I am against fear,” he said. “We have to continue to live our lives. But I respect the decisions taken by the authorities.
“Me, I wanted to play here to show them (the terrorists) that even if the terrible events, which shook the country, that life goes on for the majority of people. That we are not scared and we will not change the way we conduct our lives. This is my opinion.”
Wilmots revealed that all of his players were consulted over whether they wanted to play the game against Portugal. “I did not want to impose anything, either collectively or individually. I gave them two hours of reflection and after that, none of them showed any reservations or reluctance. They all wanted to play on Tuesday.”
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