Dick Advocaat rejoins Curaçao national team

Former South Korea national team coach Dick Advocaat has returned to the sidelines as manager of the Curaçao national team at age 79.

Advocaat, who guided South Korea at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, is now poised to make history. If he manages Curaçao in even one match at the 2026 World Cup, he will become the oldest head coach ever to appear at the tournament finals. The current record belongs to former Greece manager Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Curaçao Football Federation announced Advocaat’s reappointment Wednesday. Last November, he led the Caribbean island nation of about 150,000 people to its first-ever World Cup qualification for the 2026 tournament in North America.

He stepped down in February to care for his daughter, who was experiencing health problems. Curaçao later hired fellow Dutch coach Fred Rutten, but the team endured a difficult run in March friendlies, losing 2-0 to China and 5-1 to Australia. Rutten resigned Tuesday after the disappointing performances.

Currently ranked 82nd in the FIFA standings, Curaçao will face Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E at the World Cup.

Advocaat remains well remembered in South Korea for leading the national team to its first World Cup victory outside the country with a win over Togo in Germany in 2006, although the team ultimately failed to advance to the round of 16.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com