KNVB football association says goodbye to football development director Marcel Lucassen. According to the football association, it was ‘decided by mutual agreement’ not to extend the expiring contract and to split up on 1 May.
“I prefer to be involved with purely football technical matters every day”, Lucassen, who comes from Venlo, explains the decision. “There are also many organization-wide issues associated with this management position. However, football content is what I want to devote my attention and energy to. In the future, that fact will determine my choice.”
‘Jointly decided’
At the KNVB, the director was responsible, among other things, for the national youth teams and the top football of the youth. Lucassen says it was already the intention at the end of his first year in this position to see whether the collaboration would be extended for several years. “We have jointly decided not to do that.”
“We got to know Marcel as a very committed colleague and would like to thank him for his efforts and ideas during the past year”, the board of the KNVB said.
Louis van Gaal
National coach Louis van Gaal said at a press conference last month that he had already heard through ‘media channels’ that Lucassen would stop. “I think that’s strange. I think he’s a very good guy,” said Van Gaal at the time. “He has a lot of experience.” Shortly afterwards, the football association announced that the reports about the dismissal were incorrect and that Van Gaal was probably mistaken.
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