Koeman: 'Van Gaal needs proof if he says the World Cup was rigged'
"If I were Van Gaal, I wouldn't say that," Koeman replied to NOS newspaper at a Dutch training session on September 6. "I respect everyone's point of view. But if he can't prove the World Cup was arranged, he shouldn't say it. That will only cause noise in public opinion."
Koeman also said that when he was working at Barcelona, he also suspected that Real Madrid was favored over Barca. "However, I cannot say that thought because there is no evidence," the 60-year-old coach added.
Koeman led Barca in the 2020-2021 period, but only helped the team win one title, the King's Cup. When he started his coaching career, he worked as Van Gaal's assistant at Barca in 1998-1999, then the two worked together at Ajax in 2004. These two coaches had many periods leading the Dutch team, when Koeman was regrouped. takes over after Van Gaal leaves at the end of 2022.
The last match Van Gaal led the Netherlands was the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, when the European representative lost 3-4 on penalties. On the evening of September 4, Van Gaal said that the referee had been lenient for the Argentine player many times in that match. He also said the World Cup was "arranged", while Lionel Messi was "forced to win".
The next morning, the entire Dutch team, represented by captain Virgil van Dijk, announced that they did not have the same opinion as the former coach of the team. And Koeman, who is leading the Netherlands, does not object to Van Gaal like his students.
The referee controlling the above match was Spaniard Mateu Lahoz, and he attracted attention when he drew 18 yellow cards, a tournament record. After the match, Messi asked FIFA to review referee Lahoz's status. And goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also said that Lahoz is "the worst referee in the tournament".
The conflict between Van Gaal and the Argentina team also appeared before the match, when he hinted that Messi was the weak link of the team, and the Netherlands had a plan to stop this superstar. Finally, Messi shined when he scored two goals and also scored in the first penalty shootout. He congratulated the table by running over to Van Gaal and raising his hands to his ears, mimicking a Juan Roman Riquelme carol.
Van Gaal and Riquelme did not have a good relationship with each other when they both worked at Barca in 2002-2003. Former Uruguay striker Diego Forlan said in July 2015 that the 72-year-old coach "doesn't like South American players". Former Italian striker Luca Toni said in January 2016 that Van Gaal "hates Latin players".
