World Cup debutant Curaçao has parted ways with head coach Fred Rutten, as reports intensify that veteran Dutch manager Dick Advocaat may return to the sideline.
The split comes less than five weeks before the team faces Germany in Houston for their opening match of the tournament. Curaçao is the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for a men’s World Cup, adding to the intrigue surrounding the decision.
Rutten took over in February after the 78-year-old Advocaat stepped down due to his daughter’s health issues. Under Rutten, Curaçao lost two warm-up matches in March against Australia and China, both played in Australia. Reports indicate that players had been pushing for Advocaat’s return.
“I regret how things unfolded, but I wish everyone the best,” Rutten said in a statement released by the Curaçao Football Federation.
Rutten previously coached Dutch sides Twente, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, and Germany’s Schalke.
The federation is expected to hold a press conference on Tuesday. Curaçao joins Ghana, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia as World Cup teams that have changed managers since the December draw.
Curaçao is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the Caribbean with a population of about 156,000. The squad relies almost entirely on players born and raised in the Netherlands.
