Dutch federation’s Van Breukelen quitting

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Hans van Breukelen announced Tuesday he is stepping down as the technical director of the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) after a sometimes rocky 13 months in the job.

“I am leaving with a good feeling, because I know I have been working hard to achieve our goals,” Van Breukelen said in a statement on the KNVB website.

He leaves on August 1 just weeks before key matches as the Dutch national team battles for a place in next year’s World Cup finals in Russia.

Van Breukelen admitted however he remained “self-critical” saying: “I have not succeeded in fulfilling mine and our ambitions, and from that I draw my own conclusions.”

The Dutch federation’s commercial director Jean-Paul Decossaux said it was “a pity” that Van Breukelen was going, but the KNVB respected his decision. Van Breukelen had come under pressure over the replacement of former coach Danny Blind who was sacked after Bulgaria defeated The Netherlands 2-0 in March in a key World Cup qualifier.