Dick Advocaat responds to Sontje Hansen leaving Curaçao national team

Curaçao national team coach Dick Advocaat has addressed the departure of Sontje Hansen, who decided to stop playing for the national team as long as Advocaat remains in charge. Hansen reportedly expressed disappointment regarding his limited playing time during the recent World Cup.

Advocaat responded to the decision by stating that players must compete for positions, noting, “If you cannot live with that, you should leave; that is how it works in football.” He added that if Hansen wanted more minutes, he should have worked harder to earn them.

Advocaat is currently looking to strengthen the squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Trinidad & Tobago. While he has approached several talents from AZ and PSV, including Ro-Zangelo Daal and Elijah Dijkstra, many young players are currently waiting to see if they will be called up by the Netherlands national team instead. Advocaat has extended his own contract by one year to continue building the team.