Dutch veteran Dick Advocaat is coming back to take Curaçao to the World Cup and set a record as the oldest-ever coach in the tournament’s 96-year history.
The 78-year-old Advocaat’s return three months after he resigned citing a family health issue was confirmed Tuesday by the Curaçao soccer federation, one day after Fred Rutten left the job.
“Discussions between [the federation] and Dick Advocaat regarding the further details of this appointment are currently ongoing,” it said, with “the aim of ensuring stability, clarity, and continuity around the national team.”
When Curaçao makes its World Cup debut against Germany on June 14 in Houston, Advocaat will be seven years older than Otto Rehhagel was at 71 coaching Greece at the 2010 World Cup.
It will also be Advocaat’s third World Cup with a third different team: His native Netherlands in 1994 and South Korea in 2006.
Curaçao also plays Ecuador in Kansas City and Ivory Coast in Philadelphia at the first 48-team World Cup being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The expanded format gave three extra guaranteed entries to the Concacaf region.
Advocaat led the tiny Caribbean island team through qualifying then was replaced in February by his compatriot Rutten.
Rutten oversaw two losses in warmup games in March, against Australia and China, and was reportedly unpopular with players who wanted Advocaat back.
However, federation president Gilbert Martina denied that Fred Rutten’s exit was due to “friction.”
“I contacted Advocaat on Monday, after Rutten submitted his resignation on Sunday.
“Curaçao is going to Scotland at the end of the season for a friendly. That will be a tough, difficult match. There is a chance that Curaçao will not get a result, and then, 14 days before the World Cup, you have a whole discussion about the national coach, which is not good for the team. In the context of what is good for the team, he made that decision.”
Martina added: “There is always friction during a changing of the guard. Dick has a coaching style, Rutten a completely different one. It is logical that friction arises, but that is not the reason why he quit.”
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Curaçao is an autonomous territory of about 156,000 people in the Caribbean within the Netherlands kingdom and is the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup. The team relies almost entirely on players born and raised in the Netherlands.
The Associated Press and ESPN Netherlands contributed to this report.
