Ruud van Nistelrooy was absent as assistant national coach during the first days of the Dutch team in the United States because he was celebrating his fiftieth birthday. Hélène Hendriks thinks it’s laughable.
The Dutch team traveled to New York last Thursday for a six-day training camp in preparation for the Football World Cup, but Ruud van Nistelrooij was not there. He didn’t arrive until Sunday. National coach Ronald Koeman initially said that his assistant was missing due to ‘pleasant family circumstances’, but that turned out to be his birthday.
Hélène chuckles
Ruud appears to have celebrated a big party in Den Bosch with his wife in honor of his fiftieth birthday. And while his real birthday is only on July 1. “Ruud could not cancel that party, because he and his wife had invited all the guests,” said Koeman.
Incredible, says SBS workhorse Hélène Hendriks. “I had to laugh today at that message about Van Nistelrooij and why he wasn’t there. I think: private circumstances or something bad,” she says in The Orange Summer.
‘You should celebrate!’
Table guest Theo Janssen thinks it’s ridiculous. “It sounded very intense, didn’t it, but yes, it was his birthday.”
Hélène: “Fifty. You should celebrate! Haha.”
Theo: “In the end, it’s not possible, is it? Then you just come along and celebrate your birthday a few days earlier or later.”
Hélène: “Yes, but suppose your family has arranged everything with Aunt Pietje.”
Theo: “Yes, but with the Dutch national team you will seriously prepare for the World Cup. He is not at Curacao where you can just go away for a day. Cor Pot doesn’t do that either, because he just celebrates with 40,000 people.”
Extremely popular
Hélène points out that Cor has also reached a special milestone. “Today is Cor’s birthday, 75 years old.”
Theo: “Yes, he just celebrates with a lot of people.”
Hélène: “Cor is immensely popular, not only with the women on the island, but certainly also with the selection.”
Theo: “Simply bringing the family along could have been the solution. Football is not something to be gloated about at the moment.”
Hélène: “Do you think Koeman should have done this differently?”
‘It’s not possible’
Theo thinks this has been handled clumsily. “Yes, certainly, I think that as an assistant coach you should just be there. I think Koeman should have said: ‘Listen, you are going to the World Cup as an assistant coach, you are just going along. You are going from the beginning to the end.’”
“And Van Nistelrooij should have simply said: ‘I’m turning 50, fine, then I’ll celebrate it a week earlier or a while later, but I’ll just be there.’ I don’t think it’s possible.”