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Van Basten to quit as assistant coach of Dutch national team

Xinhua, August 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

Marco van Basten leaves his post as assistant coach of the Netherlands' national team to join the world football governing body FIFA, the Dutch football association KNVB announced on Tuesday.

The 51-year-old Van Basten, who became European champions with the Netherlands as a player in 1988, will stay on as assistant of current head coach Danny Blind until the KNVB finds a successor, but until no later than the last World Cup qualifier of this year on November 13 away against Luxemburg.

"FIFA has approached me to work for them," Van Basten said in a press release by the KNVB. "The association is on the verge of renewal and reform of soccer and wants to make use of my ideas and views on matters such as rules, regulations and programming. I am honored they asked me."

"Of course I am not happy," Netherlands coach Blind said. "But the job suits Marco like no other. He deserves this chance. He has meant a lot to football and through FIFA he can be of great value to the future of our football."

The departure of Van Basten means Blind has to look for two new assistants now. On July 1 this year Ruud van Nistelrooy already left and his successor Dick Advocaat quit two weeks ago to join Turkish club Fenerbahce as head coach. Ruud Gullit was the main candidate to succeed Advocaat as new assistant, but the former Dutch soccer giant, who became European champions with Van Basten in 1988, cancelled a deal last Friday.

On Monday Bert van Oostveen announced his departure as director of professional football at the KNVB per September 1. He will be succeeded by Gijs de Jong, the current operational director and Dutch league manager.

Van Oostveen received a lot of criticism in Dutch media after the national team failed to qualify for Euro 2016 with Guus Hiddink and Blind, appointed by Van Oostveen, respectively as coach. With the appointment of Hans van Breukelen as new technical director on July 1 this year the responsibilities of Van Oostveen were already reduced.

Amid these crisis circumstances the Dutch national team prepares for two forthcoming internationals. The Netherlands play Greece on September 1 in Eindhoven and start the 2018 World Cup qualification campaign five days later against Sweden in Solna, Sweden. Endit