Bert van Marwijk's fury over 2011 Brazil night out resurfaces

In a candid FunX interview, former Dutch international Eljero Elia revisits the 2011 Brazil trip that saw several Netherlands players caught partying, prompting an explosive reaction from head coach Bert van Marwijk. The interview raises the question of how a night out spiraled into a national scandal.

Elia, a thirty‑cap Dutch international, was part of the Netherlands squad on that tour. He recalled that the players were discovered out late during the Brazil visit, and photographs of the evening later fueled a media firestorm.

Elia said the coach, Bert van Marwijk, warned the group: “Guys, you get the night off, but I want no mess – and from you little ones I want no mess at all.” He added that the remark was aimed at himself, Edson Braafheid and Gregory van der Wiel.

Elia recounted the scene: “All those boys to the club, Gregory and I behind them. We get to the club: all those chicks on us. But we got no attention. We were dark boys from the favela, they thought.” He said he urged Gregory to return to the hotel.

He described hearing the trainer’s voice the next morning: “We play PlayStation in our room and wake up. One‑hour time difference! I heard the trainer shouting… Everyone was already at breakfast. I came late. Van Marwijk shouted: ‘damn, I told you, no nonsense here! And with you I’m completely done!’”

Dutch media released footage later that week showing several Netherlands internationals inside a Brazilian discotheque, while Elia was absent from the images – a fact his mother celebrated. “It was a huge explosion in the Netherlands. My mother called me, ‘Eljero, I’m really proud of you,’” he recalled.

The episode still sparks debate about player discipline on international trips, with no further comment from the Dutch FA.