Frank de Boer has left his role as the head coach of the Netherlands following their exit from Euro 2020 at the round of 16 stage.
De Boer, who took the role last year, guided his side to three wins out of three in their group which consisted of Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia.
However, a poor performance in their first knockout game saw them go down 2-0 against the Czech Republic, sealing their exit from the competition and ultimately sealing De Boer’s fate.
Frank de Boer and Netherlands Part Ways
‘The Objective Has Not Been Achieved’
In a statement on the KNVB website, De Boer said: “In anticipation of the evaluation, I have decided not to continue as national coach. The objective has not been achieved, that is clear.
“When I was approached to become national coach in 2020, I thought it was an honor and a challenge, but I was also aware of the pressure that would come upon me from the moment I was appointed, that pressure is only increasing now, and that is not a healthy situation for me, nor for the squad in the run-up to such an important match for the Dutch football on its way to World Cup qualification.
“I want to thank everyone, of course the fans and the players. My compliments also to the management who have created a real top sports climate here on campus.”
Netherlands’ Campaign
The Dutch qualified for Euro 2020 with relative ease, losing only one of their eight games, which was against the group winners, Germany. They also had the joint-best defence in the group with the Germans.
There was an expectation that they could go far in the tournament – as well as hope from their fans who had missed out on the previous edition of the competition after the Netherlands failed to qualify for Euro 2016 in France.
After the group stages, in which De Boer’s side achieved maximum points, that expectation increased, especially when they were handed a very winnable tie against the Czech Republic, who had finished as runners-up in Group D behind England.
However, after Matthijs de Ligt’s red card early in the second half, goals from Tomas Holes and Patrick Schick sent the Dutch out.
Search for a Replacement Starts
KNVB say that they are looking to have a replacement for De Boer before their World Cup qualifying match against Norway in September. This gives plenty of time for a thorough search to be done for a manager that can once again lead the Netherlands to success.
Nico-Jan Hoogma said: “The choice for Frank turned out differently than we had hoped. A successor must now be found by me, after good internal consultation. It is imperative to do so, because September 1st we will be playing the important qualifier against Norway in Oslo.
“We will now evaluate further, broader than just the coach, sharpen the profile, do the work that can be expected of us here.”
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