The 2026 World Cup is not only talked about on the pitch. Guest on a television set of the Batavian channel NOS to analyze the match between the Netherlands and Japan (2-2), former Real Madrid player Rafael van der Vaart sparked general indignation after a comment on Japanese players.
“They all look the same”
While he was dissecting the action of Daichi Kamada’s equalizing goal on air – taking advantage of a marking error by Dutch defender Micky van de Ven – the 43-year-old consultant slipped up by declaring about Japanese footballers: They all look the same after all. Maybe that’s why.
Aware of the emerging unease on the set, the ex-international immediately tried to defuse the situation by invoking a joke
before adding that we could not nothing more to say at all
.
An après le tollé mea culpa
This release quickly caused a wave of indignation on social networks and in the media, pushing the former player to backtrack. Faced with the scale of the controversy, Rafael van der Vaart published an official press release to make his mea culpa.
Read also: World Cup. The ranking of scorers and assisters after the second day of the World Cup group stage
The former midfielder said he sincerely regretted if his comments could have hurt or offended the public, while vigorously defending himself from any racist or discriminatory intention. A controversy which comes as the Netherlands face Sweden for their second match in this World Cup, this Saturday June 20 (7 p.m.).
:fill(black)/2026/06/18/6a3435edd3ac7151284399.png "Coupe du monde : le casse-tête des supporters pour accéder au stade à New York")
