New Delhi: Ever since his move to Saudi Arabia, Steven Bergwijn, who was not selected to be a part of the Nations League squad, has taken aim at Ronald Koeman, the coach of the Netherlands, for allegedly closing the door on his international career. After leaving Ajax for Al-Ittihad on Monday, the 26 year old attacker was accused by Koeman of lacking “sporting ambition” and would not be considered for selection. Bergwijn was a member of the team that advanced to the Euro 2024 semifinals and has been playing for the national team since 2018, was offended by Koeman’s disparaging remarks, which he delivered during a press conference on Tuesday.
The Dutch forward was fuming as he made a few statements that were shocking where he mentioned that this is not the right way to treat a player. He further stated that he feels honoured to represent his national side but he has heavily criticised Koeman’s way of handling things which has led to him not wanting to play for the Dutch side. He further added that he won’t be willing to play under someone who purposefully brings him down in front of the media.
🚨 Bergwijn: “I don’t even want to play for Ronald Koeman anymore”.
“I won’t play for someone who portray me like he has done in the media”.
“He could have called me, hear my side of the story. How can he say such things without talking to me?”, told Telegraaf. pic.twitter.com/TlTZ0zcPOo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 6, 2024
Bergwijn expressed his disappointment in the coach for not approaching him beforehand. In the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals, when the Netherlands was coached by Louis van Gaal, Koeman chose Bergwijn to start in the last 16 and quarterfinals at Euro 2024. The former Tottenham player also started against Argentina in that tournament.
However, Koeman responded that he was completely unaffected by it. He also stated that it wasn’t a bog of a deal and he stated facts about sporting ambitions.
The Dutch international Steven Bergwijn responds to the Dutch national team coach, Ronald Koeman, after he accused the forward for lacking “sporting ambition”. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
