John van ‘t Schip will leave as national coach of Greece on December 31, the Dutch coach announced on Instagram on Friday. Two weeks ago, Van ‘t Schip was still positive about a contract extension, but has now announced that he will resign from his position as national coach after this calendar year. His assistants Aron Winter and Michael Valkanis also leave the Greek national team.
Van ‘t Schip was appointed as national coach of Greece in August 2019. He failed to guide the Greeks to the European Championship at the time, because they finished third in a group with Italy and Finland. Greece also missed a ticket for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar two weeks ago. Due to a 0-1 defeat against Spain, Sweden was no longer available for a ticket for the play-offs. The World Cup qualifier against Kosovo (1-1) on 14 November was the last match led by Van ‘t Schip.
Van ‘t Schip has decided not to renew his contract. “The Football Association has waited so long to make a decision that I have decided to look further,” he said. Prior to the crucial World Cup qualifying matches against Spain and Kosovo, the trainer indicated that he was still open to a possible contract extension. “I would like to continue and after Spain and Kosovo we will talk about that. Of course we have to show something against those two countries, because with all the emotions here in Greece, the mood can just change. But I have every confidence in my players.”
Missing out on the World Cup is not the main reason for leaving, according to Van ‘t Schip. “Ultimately, our vision of football is different and not aligned,” said the trainer. “I believe in Greek football and the talent I’ve seen here, but the Greek players should be given the opportunity to develop and play. That takes time and more Greek players need to play in the Super League so that future coaches have opportunities to achieve success with the national team.” Under the leadership of Van ‘t Schip, Greece won eleven international matches, drew nine times and lost six times.
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