Robert Maaskant takes Tuvalu role combining football and climate advocacy
The Dutch coach will lead the Pacific island nation while also helping draw attention to the threat posed by rising sea levels.
Robert Maaskant has been presented as Tuvalu’s new national-team coach, becoming the third Dutchman to take the job after Foppe de Haan and Leen Looijen. The 57-year-old will work unpaid with the Pacific archipelago, which has around 10,000 residents, two uneven football pitches and no FIFA membership.
Maaskant’s first international matches are expected to come at a friendly tournament in Auckland in January. Kiribati, the Cook Islands and Tonga are listed as likely opponents. Tuvalu’s football association wants to join FIFA within three years, which would make it the governing body’s 212th member and provide access to additional funding.
The assignment also has an environmental dimension. No part of Tuvalu is more than 4.6 metres above sea level, while the local sea level has risen by 15 centimetres over the past 30 years. Maaskant will travel to a UN climate summit in Antalya next week to join a panel discussing the challenges facing the country.
“Football can help draw attention to this problem,” Maaskant told NU.nl, adding that the project offers objectives beyond results on the pitch. Former Netherlands international Kew Jaliens will serve as his assistant, alongside Dutch coach Thijs Matla and Tuvaluan assistants Nabil Alefaio and Pasene Siale.
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- Robert Maaskant bondscoach van land dat in zee verdwijnt: 'Ik ga naar klimaattop' | Voetbal | NU.nl— NU.nl Voetbal
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