Brazilian, Dutch Influence Seen Throughout World Cup Groupings

December 22nd, 2005 | by: WC Bob | Comments Off

Brazil and Holland may never meet on the pitch this summer in Germany, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see these two football-rich nations collide.

With Saudi Arabia naming Marcos Paqueta its new coach earlier this week, there are now five Brazilians managing teams in the World Cup. In addition to Paqueta, Carlos Albeto Parriera (Brazil), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Portugal), Alexandre Guimaraes (Costa Rica) and Zico (Japan) will all be on the sidelines this summer.

The tournament will also feature four Dutch coaches – Jo Bonfrere (South Korea), Guus Hiddink (Australia), Marco van Basten (Holland) and Leo Beenhakker (Trinidad and Tobago).

Looking at this list, I see at least five of Brazilian and Dutch coaches making it past the first round – Parriera’s Brazil, Scolari’s Portugal, Zico’s Japan, Bonfrere’s South Korea and van Basten’s Holland – which could add to the drama and storylines as the tournament progresses.

Which county in the world do you think has the best coaches?