A big argument against VAR has been put forth by Belgium’s Jeremy Doku in the Red Devils’ pre-match presser before their final group stage game against Ukraine on Wednesday.
The Manchester City winger, who has dazzled in the ongoing tournament, claims that his teammate and the nation’s all-time leading goalscorer, Romelu Lukaku, is now scared to celebrate his goals after having three goals ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee.
The former Manchester United man scored three times in two games against Slovakia and Romania for Belgium in Group E, but marginal calls that could not have been made without VAR denied the striker the glory. This has seen Belgium struggle in the group and level on points with the rest of their group as they move into the final day of the group stages.
Doku made Lukaku’s feelings known when speaking to the media ahead of Belgium’s match with Ukraine.
“He would have liked to have the goals because, now when he scores, I think he’s scared to celebrate,” Doku said. “He didn’t have a lot of luck, but he’s happy.”
“He’s happy because we won our last game. Of course, as a striker, he always wants to score and of course you think of your individual stats, it’s normal. But he’s happy with the impact that he’s having on our team and the chances he’s creating.”
“If you watch the games you can see how important he is for us. He didn’t score, but he gave an assist and that’s important as well.”
Doku then spoke on the general mood of the team going into their final match with Ukraine, knowing that they could be leaving the tournament thanks to VAR.
“The pressure is there, but we just want to win the game,” Doku said. “We don’t have to look at the other teams. Even if we had already six points we’d want to win the game. Now there’s a little more tension of course, but that’s what we like.”
Doku also spoke on Kevin De Bruyne’s heroics against Romania, which got Belgium’s campaign back on track after they lost to Slovakia in their first game – the one where Lukaku had two goals ruled out.
De Bruyne is the team’s captain as they try to capture a major trophy and has shown up so far. Doku believes that his club and country teammate will be just as influential against Ukraine as they aim to finish strong and get into the round of 16.
“Kevin is someone that we can always pass the ball to and he can always create something,” Doku said. “He has the experience.”
“He’s smiling and when he’s smiling, you can see it on the pitch as well… Everybody knows how important he is for us and we all show him how important he is for us.”
