Koen Castels, the goalkeeper for Al-Qadisiyah, ignited widespread controversy after announcing his withdrawal from the Belgium national team, coinciding with Thibaut Courtois's return to the squad. This move raised questions about divisions within the team, especially following recent changes in the coaching staff.

In fiery statements during a podcast, Castels said: "As of today, I will no longer represent Belgium." His decision came after the new coach, Rudi Garcia, called up Courtois, despite his long absence due to his previous conflict with Domenico Tedesco.

Castels confirmed that his decision is not personally related to Courtois, but rather to how the Belgian Football Association handled the situation. He added: "It's strange that Courtois has the right to decide his fate and return whenever he wants, as if nothing happened," pointing out that the association welcomed him in an unexpected manner.

The story began when a heated dispute erupted between Courtois and former coach Tedesco, who accused the Real Madrid goalkeeper of feigning injury to avoid joining the national team. Since then, Courtois has not participated with Belgium, but recent changes have reopened the door for him.

Despite his withdrawal from the national team, Castels continues to deliver outstanding performances with Al-Qadisiyah, having won the league's best goalkeeper award multiple times this season. As the controversy over his decision continues, the question remains: Will Belgium be affected by his absence, or will Courtois restore stability to the goalkeeper position?