Veteran Dutch coach Dick Advocaat stepped down as head coach of Sunderland just days after he ensured they retained their English Premier League status.
The 67-year-old — who among his many achievements has won league titles in three different countries — said he had received offers from other clubs, but as he approaches his 68th birthday (Sept. 27) he no longer wished to continue in club management.
“Sunderland has been one of the highlights of my career,” said Advocaat, who wept tears of joy when Sunderland got the point they required to stay up on Wednesday last week in a 0-0 draw with Arsenal in their last-but-one game of the campaign.
“At certain moments in your life you have to make a decision and I am almost 68-years-old now. A number of clubs contacted me, but the decision was always Sunderland or nobody.” he said.
Advocaat, who coached Rangers to two Scottish titles and two Cup successes, as well as PSV Eindhoven to a Dutch league crown and Zenit St Petersburg to the Russian championship, replaced Uruguayan Gus Poyet at Sunderland in March with them teetering on the brink of the relegation zone.
However, aside from an opening defeat he oversaw three wins and three draws in their remaining eight games to preserve their elite status.
Sunderland chairman Ellis Short, who has seen the Black Cats flirt with the drop in the past two seasons, said Advocaat — who coached Zenit to the 2008 UEFA Cup, beating his former team Rangers — had had an extraordinary dynamizing effect on the team.
“Although I am extremely disappointed, I understand and absolutely respect his decision,” Short said.
“In his brief time here he made a real impact, and lifted the club with his experience and enthusiasm. We will always be grateful to him for what he achieved,” he said.
Advocaat’s decision does not rule him out of a return to the international arena, where he is an equally experienced hand having coached the Netherlands twice, while he has also taken charge of Russia, Belgium and South Korea.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two