Ronald Koeman, the coach of the Netherlands national team, has reiterated his accusation against Barcelona for causing the injury of Frenkie de Jong, the Barça player. The Dutch Football Association announced days ago the exclusion of De Jong from the squad for the continental tournament as he has not recovered from an ankle injury.
Koeman stated immediately after De Jong's exclusion: "De Jong has a history with this injury in his right ankle, and there should be no risk taken. His club has previously taken risks, and now we have to pay the price for that."
When asked again at a press conference about the accusation he made against Barcelona, Koeman commented: "I believe I have a bit more inside information than you." He added, as highlighted by the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo": "I am not at all regretful about what I said (accusing Barcelona), but I am done with this topic now. I will not go into more details because I had a good conversation with Frenkie about this matter, and what we said will remain between us."
Netherlands will start its journey in the European Championship with a match against Poland in Hamburg next Sunday, as part of Group D, which also includes France and Austria. Koeman aims to lead the Netherlands national team to win the European Championship for the second time in its history, having previously won it as a player for the Dutch team in 1988 when it was hosted by West Germany.
