Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has accused the country's media of jumping on "fake news" ahead of the Red Devils' crucial World Cup game against Croatia.
Defeat against Morocco means Belgium need to win their final game to guarantee a last-16 place. However, opponents Croatia are coming off a 4-1 victory over Canada and will themselves be looking to wrap up top spot in the group.
Kevin De Bruyne had played down the European side's chances of winning the tournament, suggesting their team was "too old". Belgium finished third in 2018, with many of the members of that squad also involved in Qatar, and know what they need to do to keep their hopes alive.
“We were not happy with the two performances,” Martinez said ahead of the third group game. “Then you see the storm on the outside and realise that maybe we were listening too much to the outside noise before the tournament.
“Now we have some outlets in Belgium that are quite happy to jump on fake news. That’s quite astonishing," he added, amid clear-the-air talks for his squad ahead of their crucial third game.
“A World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world and you could see maybe a country like France did a very good job with a story that became the main topic of conversation in Belgium. It showed there is maybe more desire to find negative news around this team than to really get this nation together and support this team and enjoy the talent of the best generation we have ever had in Belgium football.
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After goals from Romain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlal gave Morocco victory over Belgium, De Bruyne's comments came back into focus. Veteran defender Jan Vertonghen appeared to aim a dig at his colleague, while former Belgium international Gilles De Bilde went into more detail in his criticism.
“It's things that come into play, things that make him look difficult," De Bilde said, referencing De Bruyne's disagreement with Toby Alderweired. "If you look at the photo from before the game, when [Romelu] Lukaku addresses the group, he is the only one who does not embrace his team-mates.
“He is the best player in this squad, but he frustrates the others and is frustrated because it is not working himself. That's not a good sign.”
Belgium posted one of the most impressive European qualifying records ahead of this World Cup, going unbeaten across their eight games. However, with top scorer Romelu Lukaku restricted to just nine minutes as he continues his comeback from injury, they have failed to hit top gear.
It is not a lost cause, though, with victory over Croatia potentially sending them through at the expense of their opponents. The two nations last met in a friendly in 2021, when Lukaku scored the only goal of the game.
