Fred Rutten has resigned as Curacao head coach with just one month until the World Cup kicks off — and the man he replaced is apparently ready to come back.
The Curacao football federation (FFK) confirmed the departure on Monday, following what it described as "open and constructive" talks with federation president Gilbert Martina. Rutten wasn't the source of the conflict tearing through the squad, but he read the room and stepped aside anyway.
"A climate that damages healthy professional relationships among players and staff must not be allowed to emerge," Rutten said in a federation statement. "It is prudent to step back. Time is pressing and Curacao must move forward."
Advocaat back on the table
Dick Advocaat, 78, was the man who got Curacao to the World Cup in the first place — a historic qualification sealed last November. He stepped down in February to care for his seriously ill daughter. Rutten came in as replacement, but never had the dressing room.
A significant portion of Curacao's players and sponsors had been openly calling for Advocaat's return. As recently as Friday, the FFK firmly rejected those calls. By Monday, the coach was gone. Dutch media now report that Advocaat is open to returning, with his daughter's health having improved.
If he does take the job, Advocaat would become the oldest manager in World Cup history. That's not a footnote — it's the kind of story that writes itself. Whether the squad can channel that narrative into actual results against Germany on June 14 in Houston is a different question entirely.
What this means on the pitch
Curacao's opening Group E fixture against Germany is four weeks away. Bringing in a new — or returning — manager this late doesn't just disrupt preparation, it resets it. Training ground dynamics, tactical familiarity, team meetings — everything gets reshuffled. Germany's odds of winning that group just got marginally more comfortable.
A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday. By then, either Advocaat is back or Curacao is hunting for their third head coach in under six months before a World Cup.
