Netherlands legend Ruud Gullit expressed his frustration at the lack of opportunities for Black coaches in Dutch football, saying that he believes even the best Black Dutch candidates haven't been given the chance to truly make their mark in the national team coaching ranks.
Gullit managed Newcastle, Feyenoord, the LA Galaxy and Terek Grozny while also serving as player-manager of Chelsea to close his illustrious playing career and has previously served as an assistant for his country's national team.
His former team-mate Edgar Davids was recently hired as an assistant by the Netherlands, but Gullit says that there haven't been equal opportunities when it comes to coaching at the highest levels of Dutch football.
What did Gullit say?
"It's good that you bring it up," said Gullit to Helden Magazine when asked about the recent appointment of Davids. “Every time you see all those Black players who are only allowed to become assistants. F*ck off!
"What was Patrick Kluivert allowed to do with the Dutch national team? Did he give training? I would not know. Has Henk Fraser given training? Maybe once, I don't know. Have I given training with Dick Advocaat? No! They said I had to stand in between the players, but I was never allowed to give training.
"[Advocaat] showed me that he didn't need me for my expertise, but I am still grateful to him that I have worked for the Dutch national team thanks to him. If you ask me if I would do it again, I say 'no, of course not'.
“We are talking about equal opportunities for everyone. When those equal opportunities present themselves, there are immediately people who say: 'Yes, but you have to have the quality.' I think that's so bad, it almost sounds like you're saying we don't have quality. I find that very bad.”
Advocaat's backing
Back in 2020, former Netherlands boss Advocaat advocated for Gullit to be the team's manager.
“A national coach must have charisma, especially towards the players," he told Voetbal International. "They have to want to take things from you, they have to take a national coach seriously. That would certainly be the case with Gullit.
“Make Ruud national coach and you will not be fooled anywhere in the world.”
He added: “Wherever we came with Oranje, everyone wanted to visit Ruud. When we lost in France, the first thing all those great French players did was visit Ruud Gullit. I actually thought that was phenomenal to see, the appearance of that man.
"A Dutch person who loosens up so much in the world, shouldn’t we be careful with that? Shouldn’t we make use of such a man? I do not understand that Ruud is not active in any position within the KNVB. There is no better ambassador than he is.”
The job, which was vacant following Ronald Koeman's departure for Barcelona, eventually fell to Frank de Boer, who was replaced one year later by Louis van Gaal.
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