All the wokery in the world didn't stop middle-aged gammon Rafael van der Vaart from delivering an offensive stereotype that he's now been forced to a...
‘You can’t say anything these days,’ was the gist of Rafael van der Vaart’s stance as he analysed the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan, and yet all the wokery in the world didn’t stop the middle-aged gammon from delivering an offensive stereotype that he’s now been forced to apologise for.
The former Tottenham player – renowned for his strong opinions – was providing punditry for the Group F clash and made headlines for all the wrong reasons thanks to his bigoted post-match analysis.
“The perfect corner is really very difficult to defend,” he said while watching back replays of Daichi Kamada’s late equaliser for Japan.
“This one came with the right speed, just over the five-yard line. With a bit of luck it would have gone in, but the corner was amazing.
“They [the Japanese players] do look alike, of course, maybe he [Van de Ven] thought that… That’s a joke, of course. I hardly dare say anything.”
READ MORE: Van Dijk coddled to no avail as the Netherlands parody Liverpool in Japan draw
Van der Vaart’s take was predictably met with severe criticism and in response to the backlash, the 43-year-old has since stressed through his management team that his intention was ‘never to insult, hurt, or discriminate against anyone’.
He went on: ‘I understand that some people found my words hurtful. I sincerely regret that.
‘If I have upset people because of this, I offer my apologies. That was never my intention.
‘I take the reactions that have arisen seriously and understand that words can be interpreted differently.
‘Therefore, I think it is important to make it clear that there was no racist or discriminatory intent behind my statement.
‘I hope this explanation provides more clarity about my intentions and the context in which the remark was made.’
Quite how he wanted his words to be interpreted or how there was no racist or discriminatory intent isn’t clear.
Van Dijk the ‘Boeing 747’
Van der Vaart went on to criticise Koeman’s players for sitting back and also likened Virgil van Dijk’s turning power to that of a ‘Boeing 747’.
‘I have to be honest: I was quite shocked by Van Dijk,’ Van der Vaart said about the Dutch captain at the half-time break.
‘With him, I thought: that doesn’t look good. Especially while turning.
‘It is proving very difficult. A bit like a Boeing 747 turning. I hope he starts turning a bit faster during the tournament.’
