WILLEMSTAD - Dick Advocaat, the Hague-born coach, who has announced his retirement as a coach at least ten times before, is taking on one last coaching job with Curaçao. And when he takes on this job, he wants to do it well. Therefore, he is aiming for the island to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, he announced during his presentation as the head coach of Curaçao.
No, he didn't come to the Caribbean island to lie on the beach. "That can be done in Spain as well," says Advocaat. No, performance is expected with Curaçao. "Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is a realistic project," states the head coach.
"I mean, everything still needs to be played, so you are among the contenders. Besides, I have been to three European Championships, two World Cups, and half of Europe, so I have some idea of what it takes to go far and qualify."
"Kees Jansma (press chief, editor) has been with the Dutch national team for ten years, and Cor Pot (assistant, editor) has been with Jong Oranje (Young Orange) for five years. So, we bring a lot of know-how."
Convincing Players to Choose Curaçao
To achieve this grand goal, the Hague-born coach wants to convince Dutch players to play for Curaçao. Players who have not yet played for the Netherlands.
"Some players still think they can make it to the Dutch national team. I have to convince them to choose to play for Curaçao. The dilemma is that you cannot tell them they are not good enough for the Netherlands but are for Curaçao. However, from what I see now, we can build a reasonable selection. We are in talks with about eight players. No, I won't mention names."
Do these Curaçao players have the right quality to qualify? "The player material is, of course, not as good as that of the Dutch national team, or else they would report there. But you can see in the Dutch league that with lesser players, you can set up a very good organization and play for results. I think Curaçao can do that too."
In addition, the chances of qualifying for the World Cup this time are greater because strong teams like Mexico, the US, and Canada, as hosts of the final, are already qualified.
Now, really the last?
The 76-year-old head coach has initially signed for one year. Whether it is over for the Hague-born coach afterward always remains a question. Advocaat has said several times that he would retire but always took on a new coaching job.
"Is this my last job? I saw a performance by Herman van Veen, and he said you shouldn't look back at all, you should only look forward and see how you feel. That is decisive. But I can say what I always say: Curaçao will probably be my last job."