Former Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff
today slammed the style of play of his compatriots during
Sunday`s World Cup final against Spain as "dirty" and "ugly".
|Last Updated: Jul 12, 2010, 10:21 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Madrid: Former Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff
today slammed the style of play of his compatriots during
Sunday`s World Cup final against Spain as "dirty" and "ugly".
Cruyff, a losing finalist at the 1974 World Cup, wrote in
the Catalan daily El Periodico that the Dutch showed
themselves to be particularly aggressive on the pitch and
played "appallingly and sadly in a very dirty manner".
The former Ajax and Barcelona player lamented the style
as "ugly, vulgar, hard, inpenetrable," adding that Spain
deserved to win even if they played in a "more individual than
collective fashion".
Cruyff, 63, also had harsh words for English referee
Howard Webb, whom he said should have "sent off two Dutch
players", before giving defender John Heitinga his marching
orders at the end of extra time in the 1-0 defeat.
Cruyff had expressed his admiration for the Dutch team in
an interview with the daily De Telegraaf on the eve of the
World Cup final.
He had hailed "the remarkable work" achieved by coach
Bert van Marwijk, praising him for having "succeeding in
building such a strong team".
Bureau Report
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