Just five weeks ahead of its highly anticipated World Cup debut against Germany, Caribbean underdog Curaçao has shaken up its technical staff, announcing Monday that head coach Fred Rutten has left his post just months after taking the job. Multiple reports indicate that 78-year-old Dutch coaching legend Dick Advocaat is set to reclaim the position he held throughout the team’s historic qualifying campaign.
As the smallest nation by population to ever qualify for a men’s World Cup, Curaçao enters the first-ever 48-team iteration of the tournament with unprecedented attention. Located in the southern Caribbean, this autonomous territory within the Kingdom of the Netherlands counts only around 156,000 residents, and its national squad draws nearly all its talent from players born and raised in the Netherlands.
The coaching change comes after a clear sequence of events that began earlier this year, when Advocaat stepped down from the role in February, citing a need to care for his daughter’s ongoing health issues. At that time, Rutten — a well-respected Dutch coach with experience at top clubs including PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Twente and Germany’s FC Schalke 04 — was tapped to step in and lead the side into the World Cup.
However, Rutten’s tenure got off to a rocky start during March international friendly matches held in Australia, where Curaçao dropped back-to-back losses to the Socceroos and China PR. Reports soon emerged that a majority of the Curaçao squad had pushed for Advocaat’s return to the bench, creating internal unrest that ultimately led to Monday’s leadership change.
In a statement released by the Curaçao Football Federation, Rutten acknowledged the disappointing end to his short tenure. “I regret how things unfolded but I wish everyone the best,” he said.
Curaçao is far from alone in making a late coaching change ahead of this World Cup: it joins Ghana, Morocco and Saudi Arabia as teams that have replaced their managers since the final tournament draw was held last December. The Curaçao federation has scheduled an official press conference for Tuesday to confirm the full details of the transition and Advocaat’s expected appointment.
Advocaat brings a wealth of World Cup experience to the role, having previously led his native Netherlands to the 1994 World Cup quarterfinals when the tournament was hosted by the United States, and managed South Korea at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. His return comes as Curaçao prepares for a tough group stage: after opening against Germany in Houston on June 12, the side will face Ecuador at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium and Ivory Coast in Philadelphia. Curaçao secured its place in the expanded tournament thanks to new rules that granted three additional guaranteed spots to CONCACAF, the confederation covering North and Central America and the Caribbean.
With the entire tournament kicking off in just four weeks, teams across the globe are finalizing their coaching staffs and preparing to name their final 26-man rosters ahead of the opening match.