THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Dutch former star player Ronald Koeman was Tuesday anointed coach of the national team, given the Herculean task of restoring the country’s pride after a series of humiliating defeats.
The Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) said in a statement that it had “reached an agreement with Ronald Koeman over his appointment as the Dutch national coach.”Koeman has “just signed a contract which ties him to Oranje with immediate effect up to and including the 2022 World Cup” in Qatar, it added.
Nic-Jan Hoogma, currently with Heracles Alemlo, was also named a top sports director by the KNVB.The new chance for glory for 54-year-old Koeman, comes after he was sacked by Premier League team Everton in October following a string of defeats which saw the Toffees fall into the relegation zone.
Koeman takes up the national reins at the Netherlands from Dick Advocaat, who had been one in a raft of unsuccessful appointments for the Oranje since 2014. Advocaat arrived in May for a third stint as national coach, but stepped down seven months later after failing to steer the struggling European heavyweights into the World Cup finals in Russia.
It was a massive humiliation for the Dutch, causing much soul-searching and an added blow to national pride after the team also missed Euro 2016.For Koeman, the return home sees him come full circle, back to the nation where he first strapped on football boots.
from The News International - Sports http://ift.tt/2BJntRg
