He played soccer in the Netherlands and America, trained clubs in Turkey, Spain and England and was national coach of the Netherlands, South Korea, Australia, Russia, China (under 21) and Curaçao. Raised in the Achterhoek region, Guus Hiddink has become a citizen of the world in 75 years. He has put a point behind his coaching career, but he remains active in sharing his knowledge. In an interview with Jaap de Groot, Guus Hiddink therefore discusses at length the future of top soccer. And that of trainers and coaches in particular.Text: Jaap de Groot
Online editing: Mical Joseph
Image: John van HelvertJustafter you decided to quit as trainer/coach, you became chairman of the interest group Coaches Betaald Voetbal (CBV) in November. Were the geraniums wilting so quickly?
"That request came quickly indeed. Because doubt can sometimes be very good, I thought about it for a long time. After all, I don't see myself as a driver. But when I see that colleagues such as Theo Vonk, Leo Beenhakker, Louis van Gaal, Foppe de Haan, Han Berger, Ronald Koeman and Frank de Boer have been my predecessors, it is a special position. Only I don't want to color it as an honorary job, but to have input. Especially given the current developments within top soccer. But then it has to be about matters I know what I'm talking about, and those are clearly not legal and legal issues. Agreements have now been made about that and I am looking at it for a year, although I have formally been appointed for three years. If I find at the end of the year that I can't make a relevant contribution after all, I'll quit again."
Isn't this an immediate signal to send? After all, why don't coaches have indefinite employment contracts like in normal society? If it doesn't work, then you say goodbye to each other in a decent way. Now, as with players, long-term contracts are signed and coaches and clubs have to decide at a decisive stage of the season whether to continue with each other. That fosters league distortion.
"You have a point here. In the Eredivisie, five clubs have already decided that the current coach will leave and everyone knows that Frank Wormuth will soon go from Heracles to FC Groningen, even though those clubs are still playing each other at the end of April. I've never been much for certainty. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I worked at PSV for six years and we always looked at each year to see if both parties had a good feeling about adding another season. I even know of a club that set aside a special pot to pay trainers' buyouts, when that money should just be put into youth training. Therefore, this is indeed an interesting case for the CBV to see how this should be handled. "What is the most important thing you did not learn on the trainers' course?
"Interesting question. I still think the adjustment between trainer and club or country. It should always be in balance. That's why I never took a colony of Dutchmen abroad and always included a former player with coaching experience from the country in question in my staff. To get relevant information about soccer culture, outside influences and other things. For example, former internationals such as Bum Kun Cha, Graeme Arnold, Igor Korneev and Alexander Borodjuk helped me a lot. In doing so, I especially wanted to avoid being an island in the big picture with too many Dutchmen. The main thing was to deliver what I was brought for, but that is only possible if you know the environment in which you end up. Whether this is a club in the Netherlands or a foreign organization. And no matter how extreme the differences sometimes seem. In the end, my Korean assistants even participated in the Dutch card game toup in the evening. In that respect, my first period at PSV was also very instructive. I am talking about the team that won the European Cup in 1988. A very conflicted group, with players who didn't get together on their birthdays. But as soon as they stepped onto the field together, they collectively had only one goal: to win! I hardly had to coach that process, but mostly had to manage it."
In 2006, a state photo was taken with you, Johan Neeskens, Dick Advocaat, Pim Verbeek, Leo Beenhakker, Wim Rijsbergen, Marco van Basten and John van 't Schip. Four national coaches and their assistants who were active at the World Cup in Germany on behalf of Australia, South Korea, Trinidad & Tobago and the Netherlands. A huge contrast to the Dutch input soon during the World Cup in Qatar.
"Apart from the Dutch national team so nothing else. One more reason to analyze our training well. Also keeping in mind that in 2026 the World Cup will be expanded from 32 to 48 participants. It would be nice if the Dutch coaches are again so good in the market then that some can have the beautiful and special experience of a World Cup."
As for expanding the World Cup, isn't it worrying that FIFA and UEFA are organizing more and more tournaments, claiming unlimited players owned by clubs? Surely this is how the Super League is promoted?
"Agreed. The classical federations should be careful not to overplay their hand. That the top clubs say: up to here and no further. There are more and more owners and shareholders there who feel that the value of their organization is affected. Because of this World Cup, even the Premier League is shut down for two months in the fall, and after two corona years that is going to cost the clubs a lot of money again. It stops sometime. "We cannot avoid it. You spent a total of five years in Russia as national coach and technical director. How do you experience the current situation surrounding Ukraine?
"I have almost daily contact with players and coaches with whom I have worked, and everyone is embarrassed. Everyone! Some have expressed that on Instagram as well. One former player has already had people at the door, after which his account has also been blocked. I hate to hear when such people apologize to me for what a clique in Moscow is doing to the world. Therefore, when they say to me in the Netherlands, "There you have the Russians again," I immediately shout "ho, ho, ho. There is a big difference in Russia between a small political elite and the ordinary people. Putin and his clique live so far away from that, they have completely lost touch with what is going on among the people. They need to hear from me that bombings were carried out in Ukraine and that young Russian soldiers were killed. All that is kept from them. That's why I liked the fact that Roman Abramovich's daughter was the first to publicly criticize Putin. Then Abramovich decided to sell Chelsea and use the proceeds to support the victims in Ukraine. Some have their doubts about that, but I consider it a first crack in Putin's untouchability. And now just hope, there will be more cracks soon."
Read the entire interview with Hiddink? The spring issue of MASTERS celebrates regained freedom after two years of corona. Its value is underscored by developments in Eastern Europe, where the freedom of an entire people is at stake. We live in a new reality, but we can plan again, eat out, meet people. The world is turning again! Only: which way? Time for new bridges, new initiatives. To which this edition of MASTERS offers inspiration.
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