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Dick Advocaat was poised to be the oldest coach at World Cup finals Curacao will have a new head coach in charge for their World Cup warm-up friendly against Scotland on 30 May after Dick Advocaat stood down for personal reasons. The former Rangers manager had led the Caribbean island's team to the finals for the first time but will be replaced with fellow Dutchman Fred Rutten. At 78, Advocaat would have become the oldest coach in World Cup finals history. He had described leading the island with a population of around 150, 000 to the World Cup as the "craziest thing" he had achieved in a managerial career spanning nearly four decades. But Dutch media reported on Monday that he has stood down because of his daughter's health. "I've always said family is above football, " he said. "So this is a self-evident decision. Edinburgh pubs allowed to open late for all World Cup matches Fifa wants injured players to stay off for one minute Unlicensed betting firms face sponsorship ban "But, of course, that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to miss Curacao, the people there and my colleagues very much. " Advocaat, who also managed the Netherlands, Belgium, South Korea, PSV Eindhoven and Sunderland, spent two years as Curacao head coach. Unbeaten over six games, they reached their first finals by topping their CONCACAF qualifying group ahead of Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Bermuda. Steve Clarke's Scots entertain Japan and Ivory Coast in March friendlies before Curacao visit Hampden for their final warm-up match before the summer finals in the Americas. By then, the islanders will be led by 63-year-old former Netherlands defender Rutten, who has managed PSV Eindhoven, Anderlecht and Feyenoord. He had most recently returned to PSV as assistant to Ruud van Nistelrooy and had a spell as caretaker after his fellow Dutchman's departure in 2023. Rutten's side begin their World Cup campaign with a Group E match against Germany in Houston on 14 June and also face Ivory Coast and Ecuador. The Scots begin their campaign the previous day against Haiti, with Brazil and Morocco the other sides in Group C. Benfica's Prestianni gets provisional one-match ban T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe need record chase of 255 to beat Windies Hundred deals 'not in our hands' - Pakistan's Farhan The Bafta-winning documentary everyone is talking about Explore neurodivergent minds and how noise shapes daily life Mackenzie Crook’s new whimsical comedy What draws Sweden's players to England's Women's Super League? 'Aberdeen savour the most perfect game ever played' How Mc Tominay became a Napoli icon after Man Utd exit Scotland men's internationals to be shown live on BBC Commonwealth Games: Why is it so special to be part of Team Scotland? From titles to tinpottery - rank Scotland's top 10 clubs Five talking points from round three of Six Nations How ruthless Arsenal exposed Tottenham's weaknesses Why 2026 marks a Winter Olympic turning point for Team GB 'England need players able to change tactics during games' Six Nations Rugby. Video Six Nations Rugby Can you name every GB medal winner at Milan-Cortina? EFL's earliest-ever relegation - how Sheff Wed's sorry season unfolded How sister's success paved way for Atkin's Olympic bronze 'Scotland's terrible beauty reverses the narrative on extraordinary day' Penis injections, swearing curlers and a wolfdog - Olympic stories you might have missed 'Losing the dressing room' - what does it mean and how can it happen? The Uber-driving English champion & his 30-year fight for a passport Who are the winners and losers from F1 pre-season testing? How Hodgkinson broke a 23-year-old world record Managing Man Utd the 'ultimate role' - Carrick How safe is bare-knuckle boxing as it fights for mainstream appeal? 'Bigger does not mean better' - why more matches is not for good of the game From Stoke to the Arctic Circle - 30 years of BBC's Murray behind mic Vinicius: Eight years at Real Madrid, 20 cases of alleged racist abuse Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.