Former Coach Babos Shares Joy of Curaçao's World Cup Journey

Gábor Babos, a 51-year-old Hungarian coach, harbors no resentment towards Dick Advocaat for his departure from the Curaçao national football team. Babos left the team in 2024, coinciding with Advocaat's arrival, understanding it as a natural progression in football.

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Advocaat brought his own staff. If he has worked with the same assistant coach, goalkeeper coach, and doctor for twenty years, it was natural that I had to go. There's no problem with that, it's part of football.

"Advocaat brought his own staff," Babos explained. "If he has worked with the same assistant coach, goalkeeper coach, and doctor for twenty years, it was natural that I had to go. There's no problem with that, it's part of football." He acknowledged that while his tenure saw Curaçao relegated from the A division of the CONCACAF Nations League to the B division, Advocaat's subsequent leadership led to strong World Cup qualifying results.

Babos recalled that when he joined the team, qualifying for the CONCACAF Championship was a distant dream. "If you had bet on it, they would have called you crazy," he said. "It's a huge thing that such a small country can be at the World Cup."

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It's a huge thing that such a small country can be at the World Cup.

He described the island nation as being in the throes of "World Cup fever," with cars decorated with flags and the entire island draped in blue, referred to as the "Blue Wave." Despite a heavy 7-0 loss to Germany, the team's first World Cup goal, scored by Livano Comenencia, was a moment of national celebration. Babos noted that life on the island essentially stopped during matches, with everyone glued to screens, turning the event into a "people's festival."

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Curaçao stopped living between one and three o'clock on Sunday. Nobody swam in the sea, nobody went diving, no boats went out, everyone watched the match. It turned into a real people's festival with drummers and dancing.

Though he hasn't worked with the team for two years, Babos feels he is still considered part of the "Blue Family." He spoke of the team's unique spirit, characterized by pre-training prayers, constant music, dancing, and an infectious joy for the game.

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It's not a team, it's much more like a family. Blue Family, that's what they call it. Once you enter this circle, this family, then...