Dick Advocaat was hired Monday as Curacao’s coach ahead of the opening match of World Cup qualifying in June, the eighth national team he will coach.
Advocaat agreed to a one-year contract with a one-year option, according to the Curacao Football Association. It is unclear whether the option belonged to Advocaat or the federation.
The 76-year-old Advocaat coached the Netherlands for three different stints, leading the Oranje to the quarterfinals of the 1994 World Cup and the semifinals of the 2004 European Championship. He also led the Dutch team as it failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
He also coached the United Arab Emirates (2005), South Korea (2005-06), Belgium (2009-10), Russia (2010-12), Serbia (2014) and Iraq (2021). His South Korean team was eliminated at the organizational level of the 2006 World Cup and his Russian team failed to qualify for the organizational level of Euro 2012.
At the level, he coached Haarlem (1987-89), SVV Schiedam (1989-91), Dordrecht (1991-92), PSV Eindhoven (1994-98 and 2012-13), Glasgow Rangers (1998-2001), Borussia Mönchengladbach (2004-05), Zenit St Petersburg (2006-09), AZ Alkmaar (2009-10 and 2013-14), Sunderland (2015), Fenerbahçe (2016-17), Sparta Rotterdam (2017-18), Utrecht (2018-19), Feyenoord (2019-21) and The Hague (2022-23).
He won the 2008 UEFA Cup with Zenit and top leagues with PSV (1997), Rangers (1999 and 2000) and Zenit (2007).
Coached by Guus Hiddink, Curaçao won its first-round group in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, then lost to Panama on 2-1 aggregate in the second round.
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