Courtois launches legal action against former Belgium boss Wilmots

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FA Cup Semi Final - Chelsea v Southampton - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - April 22, 2018 Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois during the warm up before the match Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley

(Reuters) - Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and his father Thierry have initiated legal action against Marc Wilmots after the former Belgium manager accused them of leaking team selection information.

Wilmots had told beIN Sports in an interview that he was informed Thierry sold Belgium's team news to journalists during the 2016 European Championships.

The 49-year-old was sacked following his team's surprise defeat by Wales in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

FILE PHOTO: Marc Wilmots of Belgium, the new soccer coach of African champions Ivory Coast, attends a news conference in Abidjan, Ivory Coast , March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon

"Wilmots - not for the first time - reiterates publicly and intentionally accusations against my honour and reputation as well as my father," Courtois said on social media.

"We decided together to file a complaint accompanied by criminal indemnification proceedings for libel and defamation."

Courtois and Wilmots also had a public falling out with the goalkeeper criticising Belgium's tactics during the Euro 2016.

(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)