Rafael van der Vaart has faced intense criticism after making a racist remark about Japan's players during Dutch television coverage of the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Japan at the World Cup. The Group F match on Sunday saw Japan fight back twice to secure a point against Ronald Koeman's side.
Match Recap
After a goalless first half, Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring with a superb header early in the second period. Keito Nakamura equalised six minutes later, squeezing the ball home from the edge of the box. Crysencio Summerville restored the Dutch lead just past the hour mark, but Daichi Kamada's deflected header in stoppage time ensured the spoils were shared.
Sweden's 5-1 victory over Tunisia later in the evening put Graham Potter's side top of the group ahead of their clash with the Netherlands.
Van der Vaart's Controversial Comments
In the aftermath of the draw, Van der Vaart, a former Real Madrid and Tottenham midfielder, made shocking remarks while analysing Micky van de Ven's performance on NOS. He 'jokingly' suggested that the defender's struggles might be due to Japanese players 'looking alike'.
'The perfect corner is really very difficult to defend,' Van der Vaart said while reviewing Kamada's late equaliser. '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.'
He then criticised the Dutch team for sitting back and failing to 'push harder' when they had the chance to extend their lead. 'The Netherlands score a goal and then you notice that it all starts to fall back a bit again,' he added. 'You kind of brought it upon yourself. You could have pushed harder.'
Previous Criticism of Van Dijk
Earlier in the broadcast, Van der Vaart had also criticised Virgil van Dijk, comparing his turning ability to a 'Boeing 747'. 'I have to be honest: I was quite shocked by Van Dijk,' he said at half-time. '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.'
However, Van Dijk went on to win the Player of the Match award, making Van der Vaart's comments appear foolish.
Van Dijk on Hydration Breaks
During his post-match media duties, Van Dijk urged FIFA to reconsider the implementation of hydration breaks at the tournament. 'Hydration breaks are a bit interesting because I was obviously watching almost all the games, up until today and every time going to a commercial is a bit… not really what I like,' he said. 'I think also think for the neutral watchers on TV it's also not great. So if it's really hot it would be good to put them in, but you have to look at it in every game separately in my opinion.'
The Netherlands captain added: 'I think I've said enough already on that.'
