Fred Rutten opens up on pain of missing Curaçao World Cup role

Fred Rutten has spoken publicly at length for the first time about missing the opportunity to lead Curaçao at the 2026 World Cup. Rutten was put forward as national coach in March after Dick Advocaat had stepped down, but his hopes ended when Advocaat ultimately returned to the position.

Appearing on Ziggo Sport programme Rondo, Rutten said the episode had caused him considerable personal distress. He explained that the disappointment becomes particularly painful when discussing it with his grandchild, who had expected to see him at the tournament. “That hurts,” Rutten said, as quoted by De Telegraaf.

The former FC Twente, PSV and Vitesse coach indicated that he knows more about the events within the Curaçao football federation than has become public. However, he declined to provide details because doing so could harm other people. Rutten said the experience affected him above all on a human level and suggested that he felt basic moral standards had been lost during the process.

Rutten also backed former Curaçao press officer Kees Jansma’s description of the handling of the coaching change as unlawful and unacceptable, saying those words matched how he had felt. He further indicated that he drew his own conclusions and ended the cooperation himself, rather than simply being removed. Although Rutten now wants to leave the matter behind, he made clear that losing a seemingly attainable chance to coach at a World Cup continues to hurt.