Caracas (AFP) – Veteran Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, who led Curacao to World Cup qualification, will return as coach for the tournament after his successor Fred Rutten resigned.
“Advocaat is returning,” the president of the Curacao Football Federation (FFK), Gilbert Martina, told AFP in a phone message. Advocaat, 78, was in charge when the Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela reached the finals but resigned three months later because of his daughter’s health.
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His fellow Dutchman Rutten took over, but Curacao suffered two comprehensive friendly defeats in March, losing 5-1 to fellow World Cup qualifiers Australia and 2-0 to China. On Monday, the FFK said Rutten, 63, had resigned following “constructive discussions” among federation officials.
Reports in the Dutch media suggest Advocaat, who will be the oldest coach to take charge of a team at a World Cup, agreed to return to his former role because his daughter’s health has improved. Curacao are the smallest country by population to qualify for a World Cup. They face Germany on June 14 in their Group E opener, before playing Ecuador and Ivory Coast.
The much-travelled Advocaat has coached the Netherlands on three occasions and has also taken charge of the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Serbia among a string of managerial positions.
© 2024 AFP
