Joey Veerman ends silence over Ronald Koeman criticism
Joey Veerman has publicly distanced himself from Netherlands national team coach Ronald Koeman after the PSV midfielder was omitted from the preliminary FIFA World Cup squad.
The 27-year-old, capped 16 times for the Oranje, stated after PSV’s 5-1 league win over FC Twente on Sunday that Koeman no longer needs to contact him. Veerman criticized Koeman’s repeated use of character-based arguments in press conferences, saying he has grown tired of the remarks.
"If he doesn’t call me based on my qualities, that’s fine," Veerman said. "But don’t bring up my character. I’m starting to get annoyed with those press conferences every time."
Veerman revealed he was not surprised by his exclusion, claiming it was expected by few in the Netherlands. He called for clarity, saying Koeman should justify selections based on footballing reasons rather than personal assessments.
The dispute stems from Koeman’s March press conference where he explained Veerman was not among his top two options as a left-sided controller for the tournament. When pressed on whether character played a role, Koeman replied, "Character as well. Joey’s character is different. But in principle, it’s a football matter. I prefer others."
Veerman had previously remained silent about Koeman’s decisions during UEFA EURO 2024. He was substituted at half-time in the 3-2 loss to Austria and later played against Romania, Turkey, and England—his most recent international appearance to date.
Regarding his conduct at the tournament, Veerman insisted nothing was wrong. "I did nothing wrong. Everyone at the club is asking what happened. If something had, I would have been honest about it. I truly have no idea."
PSV teammate Ismael Saibari supported Veerman following the Twente match, calling him one of the Eredivisie’s best midfielders and stating there is no comparable player in the national team.
PSV head coach Peter Bosz also defended Veerman’s character, saying, "I won’t react to what Koeman said or didn’t say. I can only say Joey has a great character—I’m very satisfied with that. With him, you can win three championships. He’s self-critical."