Belgium star De Bruyne brands Euro 2020 a ´fake competition´ over draw format

Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne labelled Euro 2020 a “fake competition” and claimed the draw format is a sign of football becoming more of a business than a sport.

Roberto Martinez’s side won all 10 qualifiers to finish top of Group I and qualify automatically for next year’s finals, which will be staged in 12 different cities across Europe.

The group draw will take place on November 30 but, due to seedings and rules involving host nations, Belgium already know they will be drawn into Group B with Russia and Denmark.

Belgium can start planning for the expansive tournament, but Manchester City star De Bruyne is unhappy with the format.

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— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) November 20, 2019

“It’s a shame,” he told VTM Nieuws after scoring twice in Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Cyprus.

“For me, this feels like a fake competition. Football has become more and more [like] a business.”

De Bruyne featured in six of Belgium’s qualifiers, scoring four times and assisting a further six goals.