Louis van Gaal is known for his unique press conferences. The 70-year-old likes to dish out journalists, but he also likes to joke with them. After the game against Germany, he briefly caused astonishment.
The groups for the World Cup in Qatar will be drawn next Friday. Hansi Flick will be there as the German national coach, but not Louis van Gaal as the Dutch coach. The reason is not a lack of desire, but a positive PCR test. The 70-year-old reported this at the press conference after Germany’s international match against the Netherlands. The test result prohibits him from entering the country of the World Cup host.
A few journalists looked around in surprise, after all van Gaal was sitting a few meters away from them. When asked, the Bondscoach explained the situation: “On Monday I had a positive PCR test. But the doctor told me that it was only residual symptoms of the virus that could be detected with a PCR test longer than with a rapid test.” In his place, assistant coach Danny Blind will fly to Doha to represent the Dutch coaching staff.
Special praise for de Jong
Van Gaal tested positive for the first time at the beginning of last week and then went into isolation. He was on the touchline again against Denmark on Saturday and was therefore also there against Germany.
It was a clear pleasure for him to be able to witness this game live. He said several times at the press conference: “What a game.” The Bonds coach, who had special praise for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, particularly enjoyed the second half: “Frenkie is a fantastic player.”