Former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart has come under fire for a misguided joke he made on live television about Japanese players looking alike. The incident occurred during the Netherlands' opening 2026 World Cup match, which ended in a 2-2 draw against Japan on Sunday.
Van der Vaart's Controversial Comments
Van der Vaart, 43, was working as a pundit for Dutch TV channel NOS when he made the remark. While reviewing a replay of Daichi Kamada's late equalizer, he said: "The perfect corner is really very difficult to defend. 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."
The comment has sparked criticism, with many calling it racially insensitive. It remains unclear whether Van der Vaart will face any punishment for his remarks.
Criticism of Virgil van Dijk
During his analysis, Van der Vaart also heavily criticized Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk. He said: "I have to be honest: I was quite shocked by Van Dijk. 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."
Netherlands' World Cup Campaign
The Netherlands will aim for their first win of the tournament when they face Sweden next. Sweden started their World Cup campaign impressively, thrashing Tunisia 5-1. Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman reflected on the draw, saying: "It is our minimal standard, I should say. We need to grow during the tournament. We need to perform better. Of course, we would have preferred to win the first game and we were expecting it because we went ahead twice. It didn't happen but it doesn't mean that we now think that our performance was not good enough. I think there were quite a lot of positive moments during the game so the only way is up."
Koeman also defended Japan's quality, adding: "I am disappointed that we didn't win, but that's because we were ahead twice. Many people underestimate Japan, but for the 100,000 time, if you underestimate them, that's your problem. You think that Japan's strength was overexaggerated before the match? Let's wait until the end of the World Cup to see who's right."
