Saturday, March 28, 2015

Patrick Kluivert hopes to make unlikely World Cup history with Curaçao

Nine months after reaching the World Cup semi-finals with Holland, family ties have tempted Kluivert to coach the tiny Caribbean island – and the players have followed

There may be a parallel universe in which Patrick Kluivert can be found stalking the Old Trafford touchline with Louis van Gaal every other week, but the present cosmos will do nicely enough for now. The Caribbean island of Curaçao is best known for its blue seas, white beaches and the liqueur that bears its name, and if the former Holland striker has his way then it might yet add football to that list. Kluivert is one of Curaçao’s most celebrated descendants and he has eschewed more mainstream coaching offers in an attempt to win the tiny state an unlikely place at Russia 2018.


“My mother is from the island and I really want to give something back to it – that is why I am here,” he tells the Observer from the national team’s base in Willemstad, the capital city. “The federation asked me if I was interested in the job of head coach and I didn’t have to think. I still have a lot of family here and feel a strong connection with the place. It seems like home, and that was a big part of it for me.”


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source Sport | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1DczkT7

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