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| Divock Origi |
Belgium is about to break up into two countries — the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south.
It is a frightening possibility that could unintentionally drag Divock Origi and other players of African descent like Romelu Lukaku and Vincent Kompany into the separation debate. And worse still for Manchester United star, Adnan Januzaj, who besides Belgium can be claimed by Kosovo, Albania, England and Croatia.
The pessimistic view here, such as that espoused by motherjones.com’s Sam Brodey, is “by the time the next Cup kicks off in 2018, Belgium may not exist at all.”
Belgium’s impressive performance at this edition of Fifa World Cup has inevitably been touted as a unifying force in view of the separatist undercurrents back in Brussels. Politicians in Flanders—which became wealthier than industrial, coal-mining Wallonia in postwar Europe—have pushed for independence, leading to serious strife between the country’s two largest political parties.