Field Level Media
12 May 2026, 06:25 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
Months after stepping down, Dick Advocaat has returned to serve as the head coach for Curacao's national soccer team, according to multiple reports Monday.
Advocaat, who at 78 will become the oldest manager in World Cup history, resigned in February for family matters. But with his daughter's health reportedly improving, Advocaat has decided to come back and lead Curacao into its first-ever World Cup appearance.
Curacao, with a population of just over 150,000, is the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup.
Advocaat, nicknamed the 'Little General', replaces Fred Rutten, who stepped down to enable Advocaat's comeback. Rutten managed Curacao during two March friendly matches, losing to China (5-1) and Australia (5-1).
Goal.com reported that Curacao's player council met with Gilbert Martina, Curacao Football Federation's president, following the matches and said the team preferred Advocaat over Rutten. Atilay Uslu, owner of Corendon Airlines, a major sponsor, threatened to pull more than 1 million Euros of annual funding if a coaching change wasn't made, the report said.
'There must not be a climate that damages healthy professional relationships within the team or staff,' Rutten said in a statement. 'Therefore, resigning is the right decision. Time is of the essence and Curacao must move forward. I regret how things turned out, but I wish everyone the best.'
Curacao plays its first World Cup match June 14 in Houston against Germany.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Milwaukee Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Milwaukee Sun.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: The White House has invited Elon Musk and Tim Cook to join President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week,...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: More than 300 foreign nationals, mainly from Vietnam, were arrested by the Indonesian police on Satyrday, for alleged...
SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea's parliamentary speaker, Woo Won-shik, said this week that a bill to change the constitution and make...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Lawyers for three men who targeted a vulnerable teenager and lured her into a car before driving her to Dollymount...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California: Google has agreed to pay US$50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by Black employees who alleged...
WASHINGTON, D.C.:/CAIRO: Even as the forces of the United States and Iran exchanged fire in the Middle East on May 8, a U.S. intelligence...
AUSTIN, Texas: Tesla is recalling 173 Cybertrucks over a wheel-related defect and more than 200,000 additional vehicles because of...
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin: Harley-Davidson is pivoting toward lower-priced motorcycles and a stronger dealer network as it looks to revive...
(Photo credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images) Right-hander Brandon Sproat will be seeking his first major league victory when the...
(Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images) After just one game on the active roster over the weekend, the Toronto Blue Jays...
(Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) The Milwaukee Bucks are once again open to exploring a trade of star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo...
(Photo credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images) After a much-maligned race to the bottom of the standings, the first round of the draft...
