Football
Blind sacked as Netherlands head coach
Danny Blind: sacked
The Netherlands on Sunday announced they have sacked head coach Danny Blind after two years in charge.
The Dutch FA (KNVB) announced the decision in a statement after Blind, had been called in for crisis talks.
His sacking follows a 0-2 defeat to Bulgaria on Saturday which leaves the Netherlands fourth in their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying group at the halfway stage.
“We have respect for what Danny meant to us and the team during his tenure. But because the results were not forthcoming, and because qualification for Russia has gone poorly so far, we felt the need to take our leave of him,” said KNVB director Jean Paul Decossaux.
The 55-year-old Blind took over as coach from Guus Hiddink in 2015, but his side failed to qualify for the European Championships in France last summer.
The Dutch FA said recent results left the team “with difficulty qualifying for the World Cup in Russia’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Blind won only seven of his 17 games in charge since 2015, drawing three and losing seven.
Reuters reported that Blind bemoaned the decision in a statement on Sunday.
“We were on the right track but the Bulgaria loss was a setback. I gave everything I had and I’m really sorry that it ends this way,” said the former Netherlands defender.
Blind was appointed to replace Guus Hiddink after a poor start in the Euro 2016 qualifiers but a home loss to Iceland in his first game in charge exacerbated the situation.
The Dutch have struggled to find any consistency during his 20-month tenure, winning seven and losing seven of 17 games.
Netherlands assistant coach Fred Grim will stand in as caretaker for Tuesday’s friendly against Italy in Amsterdam while the KNVB start to look for a new manager.
