While in Kingston the madness surrounding the match between Jamaica and Curaçao has reached absurd proportions, it is eerily quiet in Williwood. It is actually always eerily quiet in Williwood, a mini village on Curaçao that is located 19 kilometers northwest of the capital Willemstad. Even in Pannekoek, five kilometers away, there is more to experience. And that’s saying something, because in Pannekoek you can’t beat it.
Interim national coach Dean Gorré experienced an emotional moment in Dick Advocaat’s hotel room
Williwood was once known for its imposing Roman Catholic church, the construction of which was completed in 1888. The village was called Sint Willibrordus at the time. A village where it was always eerily quiet. So disgustingly quiet and sinking into oblivion, that a century or so later the residents came up with a bright idea to put their beloved place back on the map. They placed a life-size sign with the word ‘WILLIWOOD’. Yes, it was a parody of the world famous Hollywood ‘sign’ in Los Angeles. Same font, same white color, mostly the same letters.
Williwood a crowd puller
And damn: Williwood became a crowd puller. And not that economical either. Who didn’t want to have their picture taken with the sign? The merchandising was hard to come by. In 2011, Sint Willibrordus was officially renamed Williwood. The adjacent football field, uniquely beautiful in all its ugliness, benefited from the success. The field is bordered by Jan Kok’s ‘salt pans’, which are a good place for flamingos. But also by a café-restaurant (‘Marfa’s Good-Hangout’) that seems to have been taken from Sergio Leone’s western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. And of course the Williwood sign.
Moreover, not a single blade of grass grows on the semi-paved field, which is strewn with stones and where two iguanas appear dead. The local football club seems to have died a lonely death, although the freshly applied lime lines suggest otherwise. The chalker must be a great craftsman, because this is high school chalking. Nowhere are there two more beautiful penalty spots than on the football field of tourist magnet Williwood.
Jamaica plays for victims of Hurricane Melissa, Curaçao for Dick Advocaat
Fair football
Blow for Curaçao: Dick Advocaat has to miss the all-decisive World Cup winner with Jamaica for private reasons
It must be a unique experience to be able to play football on the field. What kind of shoes do you wear? You quickly get rid of Schwalbes. Could the players from Curaçao have ever played football there? It almost has to be, because the team consists of enthusiasts. And this field cries out for enthusiasts and artists, for pannas and akkas. It is that Dick Advocaat has added a touch of businesslikeness, otherwise Curaçao would be playing fairground football for ninety minutes. But no matter how you look at it, the team is and remains an attraction. A team to love, to be with brasa to embrace.
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Perhaps Ronald Koeman can immediately start his World Cup preparations in Williwood. It’s in the direction. Who knows, the fed-up stars, who often see an international match as a ‘must’, can find the joy in their sport again. Because football is fun, boys, and it is also a game in which you play the ball forward, instead of endlessly wide and backward. Watch Curaçao tonight and enjoy. Pasa bon.