Coach hugs reporter

NETHERLANDS coach Louis Van Gaal was taken by surprise at a World Cup news conference Thursday when a Senegalese reporter told the Dutchman he was a longtime admirer.

“I don’t have any question for you. It’s just an opportunity to tell you I’m a fan since 3 years old,” Papa Mahmoud Gueye said. “I love you.”

The 71-year-old Van Gaal, sometimes viewed as a stern-faced, taciturn and obdurate figure in soccer, broke into a huge smile before responding.

“I’m going to give you a big hug after this, because I like that you say this and I mean that seriously,” Van Gaal said through an interpreter. “Because people don’t often say this to me. So we’ll give each other a big hug afterward.”

Van Gaal kept his word, moving down from the stage and beckoning the reporter with his hand to join him in a warm embrace. The 28-year-old Gueye works for Senegalese publication Taggat.sn.

(AFP) Netherlands’ players including defender Virgil van Dijk (centre on left photo) and Netherlands’ forward Steven Bergwijn (L) take part in a training session at Qatar Universty in Doha on Thursday.