Belgium manager Marc Wilmots has said he would have liked the team's friendly against Portugal to go ahead in Brussels despite Tuesday's suicide bombings in the city.
For safety reasons, city authorities asked the Belgian FA to cancel next Tuesday's game, which had been due to take place at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels.
After initially cancelling the fixture, it will now take place in Leiria in Portugal but Wilmots said he would have preferred to make a statement by not moving the game from the Belgian capital.
"Yesterday I was near Zaventem airport," Wilmots told a news conference on Wednesday. "I saw the ambulances, the tears... a feeling of patriotism overwhelmed me. It was strong.
"That's why I wanted to play the friendly match against Portugal here in Brussels. If the decision was only down to me we would have played at the King Baudouin because I'm against fear. We have to continue to live.
"But it wasn't possible. The city decided otherwise and I respect its decision. It's easy to criticise but hard to take decisions."
Belgium cancelled two training sessions in the wake of the attacks, but Wilmots said he could fully understand that police resources were required elsewhere.
"I would have also wanted to open all the training sessions to the public but it wasn't allowed," he said. "I don't want to make the task of the security services heavier. The police is currently busy with more important things than protecting us."