Months after his resignation, Dick Advocaat has returned as head coach of the Curaçao national football team, according to several reports on Monday.
Advocaat, who at the age of 78 becomes the oldest manager in World Cup history, resigned in February due to family matters. But with his daughter’s health reportedly improving, Advocaat has decided to come back and lead Curacao to its first-ever World Cup appearance.
With just over 150,000 inhabitants, Curaçao is the smallest country that has ever qualified for the World Cup.
Lawyer, nicknamed the ‘Little General’, replaces Fred Rutten, who resigned to enable the Dutchman’s comeback. Rutten led Curaçao in two friendly matches in March, losing to China (5-1) and Australia (5-1).
Goal.com reported that the Curaçao players’ council met with Gilbert Martina, the president of the Curaçao Football Association, after the matches and said the team preferred Advocaat over Rutten. Atilay Uslu, owner of Corendon Airlines, a major sponsor, threatened to raise more than 1 million euros in funding annually if no coaching change took place, the report said.
“There should be no climate that damages healthy professional relationships within the team or staff,” Rutten said in a statement. «That is why dismissal is the right decision. Time is of the essence and Curaçao must move forward. I regret the turn of events, but I wish everyone the best.»
Curaçao will play its first World Cup match on June 14 in Houston against Germany.
Published on May 12, 2026
