Soccer-Belgian fans went too far with angry reaction to draw

Soccer Football - Euro 2024 - Group E - Ukraine v Belgium - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - June 26, 2024 Belgium fans set off smoke bombs inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Leonhard Simon

FREIBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Belgian fans went too far with their angry reaction to the team’s draw against Ukraine in the European Championship, veteran defender Thomas Meunier said on Thursday.

Supporters booed and whistled their side after a dour 0-0 stalemate that set up a last-16 clash with France, and more derision rained down when captain Kevin De Bruyne was announced as the man of the match.

Belgian players were shocked by the reaction with Jan Vertonghen waving a finger at fans and De Bruyne calling the players to the centre of the pitch and instructing them to leave the field without thanking fans.

"I think it was a bit too much because at the end of it all we qualified. It’s not like we were last in the group," Meunier told a press conference.

"We did our job. Ok, maybe we could have done it a bit better but we got what we wanted and that’s the most important.

"The reaction from the fans and the analysts was out of proportion. For the record, the players greeted the supporters. This group always plays to win. I have rarely seen so much enthusiasm in the group. Yes, the match was frustrating.

"But we are at a European Championship, you cannot win every game 3-0, 4-0," added Meunier, who only joined up with the team this week after recovering from a hamstring injury

"We wanted to greet the fans, but the problem started when there were whistling at Romelu (Lukaku). Nobody understood that; you don't whistle out your record international (scorer)."

When that happened, captain De Bruyne made the decision to go into the change room, which provoked a further action when he was named man of the match.

Meunier said he backed De Bruyne’s decision to return to the dressing-room 100%.

"The advantage of Kevin is that he has no filter. He says what he thinks. I love such people. When he made the decision to go inside, the players followed. It was the right decision."

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ed Osmond)