With just a month until the World Cup, there will be a change at the helm for Curacao’s national team as manager Fred Rutten stepped down on Monday. The federation is expected to announce its replacement at the helm on Tuesday morning, but with the deadline to name squads ahead of the World Cup looming, reports are stating that they could turn back to the man who got them there, Dick Advocaat, who stepped down shortly after qualifying for the World Cup in November due to his daughter’s health.
The federation released a statement about the decision:
The Federashon Futbòl Kòrsou (FFK) announced that Fred Rutten has decided to step down as head coach of the Curaçao national team following constructive discussions with the federation’s leadership. Although Rutten himself was not the subject of the discussions, he chose to resign to protect stability and healthy professional relationships within the squad and staff.
“There must not be a climate that harms healthy professional relationships within the team or staff. That is why stepping down is the right decision. Time is pressing and Curaçao must move forward. I regret how things unfolded, but I wish everyone the best,” said Fred Rutten.
FFK praised Rutten’s professionalism, leadership, and commitment to Curaçao football, emphasizing that he put the team’s interests above his own ahead of important upcoming matches.
It’s a strange situation for all parties involved, as speaking to CBS Sports in March, FFK president Gilbert Martina described Rutten taking the helm as “the circle of life” because he played a part in how Advocaat got the role in 2023.
“In June 2023, I met with Rutten, and he came back after two weeks and said, ‘I discussed it with the queen at home and my daughter and they said dad not yet, you’re not healthy mentally and physically, ‘ and because he had just come from a medical procedure and he said ‘Gilbert, if I can advise you of one name, it’s Dick Advocaat,'” Martina said about the process of intially getting Advocaat on board.
The rest is literally history as Advocaat has led the team to become the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup at a population of about 158,000 people. Leaning on dual national recruitment through a door that was opened by Patrick Kluivert during his time as manager is part of what got them to this point. Now, the coach responsible for the qualification may just be coming back.
Rutten oversaw two matches as head coach of the nation, losses to Australia and China, where the team conceded seven goals while scoring one. The Blue Wave aren’t a team expected to pull up any trees at the World Cup, but reportedly the tactics employed during those matches led to a call for change from the players as the World Cup is rapidly approaching.
