New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) When former Aston Villa midfielder Leandro Bacuna, his younger brother Juninho, and Sheffield United forward Tahith Chong take the field against the mighty Germans on Sunday at the FIFA World Cup, the people of the tiny island of Curacao will savour a historic moment.
As Curacao, located 40 miles north of Venezuela and was a part of erstwhile Netherland Antilles till 2010, tries to hold its own among the heavyweights of world football, opponents are likely to encounter a sprightly bunch on whom the Dutch connections heavily weigh because of its shared history and culture.
Although Curacao is 8000 miles away from ‘The Netherlands’, it is culturally more European than Caribbean because of its Dutch influence for centuries.
No wonder, world football’s most revered ‘Journeyman Head Coach’ Dick Advocaat, at 78, is the oldest coach of the smallest participating nation.
And 12 from the squad of 21 play in the Dutch Premier Division better known as ‘Eredivisie’. The skipper Leandro, who has played in the English Premier League now plays in Turkiye’s top tier while striker Chong, who has had made five appearances for Manchester United, now plays for Championship side Sheffield United.
With a population of 1.55 lakh, which is marginally more than number of people who reside in NCR’s Greater Noida, this is one ‘Blue Family’ that has punched above its weight in its CONCACAF group during the World Cup qualifiers.
However, one can’t deny that Mexico and USA being co-hosts made their journey easy as the two countries weren’t a part of the qualifiers. But beating a Jamaican team managed by former England manager Steve McClaren and Trinidad & Tobago headlined by United legend Dwight Yorke deserves the kudos.
Tracking Social History =============== But if one tracks the journey of this independent nation which is in its teens (16 years), the victory transcends the sporting boundaries and merges with its socio-cultural identity.
In the 16th and early 17th century, Willemstad (now the capital of Curacao) used to be a port where one tended to the ailing Spanish and Portuguese sailors.
It was in 1634, that Dutch West India company that was looking to expand its business in the Caribbean and South American region captured the island through its Army which invaded Curacao and forced the Spanish to surrender.
It was a well-thought out move by the Dutch as they needed a port for carrying out their transatlantic business which also included slave trafficking apart from export of food materials and fish to Venezuela.
It was after second World War that Curacao along with Aruba became a part of the Netherland Antilles till its independence in 2010.
The language — Papiamento — is still fairly popular among the people, is banned as it used to be a language of slaves.
However, the Dutch influence did help in creating a footballing culture that has paid the ultimate dividend. For the Curacao families, sending their kids to Netherlands for better prospects is a way of life. And it has helped the national team that nearly all its players have honed their skills in elite Dutch football academies. Chong for example is a product of Feynoord Academy.
Even though heavily invested in Dutch style of football, not every coach from the region has been able to produce results.
Dutch and Barcelona great Patrick Kluivert did a commendable job during the early years as the national team won Kings Cup in Bangkok, a prestigious tourney where once India used to be invited.
However, when legendary Guus Hiddink came and tried to reinvent the wheel, bringing in his own ideas about team culture, it didn’t actually work.
Hiddink had tried to stop the Open Bus Party, something which is intrinsic to Curacao culture and there was resistance.
Enter Advocaat, who had guided South Korea to a historic 2002 semi-final. He brought that tactical nous along with humane touch that really helped them during the qualifiers.
That was the reason that even when Advocaat left his job during the Qualifiers to be with his ailing daughter, he was asked to join back when his daughter showed signs of recovery.
The sick Portuguese sailors in the 16th century had named Curacao as “Ilha da Curação” meaning ‘Island of Healing’ for the Vitamin C rich fruits which they consumed during illness.
Advocaat brings in that healing touch for the tiny nation as they face the biggest test of their lives. PTI KHS KHS APA APA
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