Valencia goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen on Friday slammed Holland boss Frank de Boer after he was dropped from his country’s UEFA European Championship squad. Cillessen was initially included in Holland’s 26-member squad for Euro 2020. However, he was later replaced by AZ Alkmaar’s Marco Bizot after testing positive for COVID-19 last week. On Tuesday, Cillessen was informed that he would not feature in Holland’s squad for the prestigious tournament this month. Cillessen has been asked to stay home due to his test and it has left the 32-year-old feeling “powerless, angry, and terrible”.
Cillessen was initially informed that he would be picked in Holland’s squad if he could produce a negative result by De Boer. However, the Dutch decided to call up Bizot in his place at the last minute before sending his final squad to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). “It’s a massive blow that will echo for a while,” Cillessen told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
“De Boer knew then that I had tested positive. He then said in Portugal on Sunday that I would join the group immediately if the result of my daily rapid test was negative,” he added.
The Valencia ball stopper further said that he was told about being able to join the Holland squad after the conclusion of the training camp. Cillessen also cited the rule that a goalkeeper can be substituted during the tournament, before adding that he does not understand their hurried behaviour.
Cillessen also said that he does not want to harm anyone with his statement as it is not “appropriate.”Meanwhile, De Boer on Tuesday confessed that it was not an easy decision to drop Valenica’s No 1, before adding that he feels “incredibly sour for Jasper.”
Defending his decision, De Boer said that Cillessen had missed training and preparations after testing positive for COVID-19 and he does not want to take any risks.
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