Blind sacked as Dutch coach after Cup flop
DANNY Blind was sacked as Netherlands coach yesterday after a 2-0 defeat to Bulgaria left the team's chances of reaching the World Cup finals hanging by the slenderest of threads.
Blind, 55, had been in charge since July 2015, succeeding Guus Hiddink, but Saturday's loss in Sofia left the Dutch in fourth place in qualifying Group A, six points behind leaders France.
Only the group winners are guaranteed a place in next year’s finals in Russia.
Blind's assistant Fred Grim will take charge of the team for Tuesday's friendly against Italy in Amsterdam, the Dutch football federation (KNVB) said.
"We [the federation] have a lot of respect for Danny, but due to negative results and the difficulty we have to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, we must part company with him," the KNVB said in a statement.
The Netherlands, threetimes World Cup runners-up, also failed to qualify for Euro 2016.
Failure to qualify would be a major shock for one of the most successful footballing nations, who have finished runner-up in the World Cup three times, most recently losing the 2010 final to Spain. They finished third in 2014.
Netherlands skipper Arjen Robben called the defeat in Sofia a nightmare.
“It’s sad. I’m speechless. The first half was shocking,” the Bayern Munich winger said.
Bulgaria stunned the Dutch with two goals in the first 20 minutes, both coming from Spas Delev who opened his international account.
The first came from an error by 17-year-old Matthijs de Ligt, Holland’s youngest debutant since 1931, who misjudged a pass and allowed the striker to slot the ball past Jeroen Zoet.
The gamble to cap the teenager may have backfired, but the federation backed Blind on his decision.
It said Blind’s squad was hit by injuries to key defenders with Virgil van Dijk, Jeffrey Bruma and Stefan de Vrij out of contention, leaving him with a puzzle for replacements.
After the match, Blind said the task of qualifying for Russia had become harder, and questioned whether he was still the man for the job.
“I have to reflect on whether I am capable of getting us out of this jam,” he said.
He later told TV network NOS he wanted to keep his job.
“If the KNVB [Dutch federation] do not take a decision, then I will still be coach on Tuesday,” he said. – AFP