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Published : 13 May 2026, 02:06 AM
Veteran coach Dick Advocaat will return at the helm of Curacao and take the team to next month's World Cup, making him at 78 the oldest coach in tournament history.
His appointment in the wake of Monday's resignation of Fred Rutten was confirmed at a Tuesday press conference by the Caribbean island's football association.
Rutten quit amid alleged pressure from players and the federation's leading sponsor for Advocaat to return to the job he left in February because of the illness of his daughter.
The 63-year-old Rutten had been his designated successor but after two matches in charge in March, where they lost 2-0 to China and 5-1 to Australia, moves to get Advocaat back developed quickly last week amid claims of player discontent and a statement seeking Advocaat's return issued by the federation's leading sponsor, a tourism company.
At first, Curacao federation president Gilbert Martina refused to entertain any change in a hard-hitting statement of support for Rutten but the Dutch-born coach saw the writing on the wall and quit on Monday.
Denials Of Player Coup
On Tuesday, Martina denied there had been a player putsch. "After it became known that Advocaat's daughter was better, a very negative campaign was launched in the press in which Rutten was cast in a bad light," he told the press conference.
"But the players have denied those negative statements."
Martina said Rutten had called on Sunday to say he felt it was best to step down. "A climate must not arise that undermines healthy professional relations, within both the squad and the staff. That is why it is wise to step down," Rutten said later in a written statement.
Martina then called Advocaat on Monday, after which an agreement was reached on Tuesday regarding his return.
Under Advocaat, Curacao qualified for the World Cup for the first time, although the experienced coach missed the decisive match against Jamaica last November due to his daughter's health.
Curacao, with a population of just over 150,000 and a land area of 171 square miles, will be the smallest country to compete at the World Cup. They have been drawn in Group E and will play against Ecuador, Germany, and the Ivory Coast at the tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the US.
It will be Advocaat's third World Cup finals. He previously led the Netherlands at the 1994 World Cup, also in the US, and South Korea in 2006 in Germany.
At 78, he easily beats the record of the previous oldest coach, German Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 years and 317 days old when he led Greece against Argentina in their last group game at the 2010 finals in South Africa.
