WILLEMSTAD – The Federashon di Futbòl Kòrsou has publicly distanced itself from a video featuring controversial Dutch television personality Johan Derksen after criticism erupted over his apparent involvement in the presentation of Curaçao’s new national team home jersey.
According to the federation, the official unveiling of the new home uniform took place Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. at Sambil Curaçao, where two FFK board members formally introduced the jersey as part of adidas’ global campaign launch for The Blue Wave.
FFK presenting the Curacao uniform
The official campaign video was released worldwide at 11:00 a.m. and featured several local personalities, including the team’s equipment manager, a bus driver, the leader of supporters group Liga Blouwi and players from the national team.
However, shortly afterward, around 11:15 a.m., Derksen appeared in a separate video at the FFK Fanshop in Sambil, creating the impression among many viewers that he was officially introducing Curaçao’s new jersey to the local and international public.
The appearance immediately triggered reactions on social media and within the Curaçao community because of Derksen’s earlier controversial remarks about the island.
Johan Derksen
The Dutch television analyst, best known for the popular talk show “Vandaag Inside,” has repeatedly made negative comments about Curaçao in recent years. In 2025 he described Curaçao as a “roversnest” — Dutch for a “den of thieves” — and claimed that “if you drive into the wrong street, they’ll never see you again.”
Those comments caused outrage among many Curaçao residents, especially given the island’s strong support for the national football team and the pride surrounding Curaçao’s historic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In its statement, FFK stressed emphatically that the Derksen video was not produced by the federation, was not commissioned by FFK and that the football federation had no involvement whatsoever in its development or presentation.
“Official communication, campaigns and presentations on behalf of Curaçao’s national team take place exclusively through FFK’s authorized channels and official partners,” the federation stated.
FFK acknowledged that the situation created confusion and reactions within the community and said it considered it important to provide complete clarity on the matter.
The controversy comes during a highly emotional period for Curaçao football as excitement continues building around The Blue Wave’s World Cup debut and the launch of the new adidas uniforms.
Ironically, despite his earlier criticism of Curaçao, Derksen later praised the national team’s World Cup qualification as one of the biggest sports stories of the year and described the achievement under coach Dick Advocaat as “a sporting fairy tale.”