# Coach of National Teams **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 4, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250 "2010-03-04T06:24:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250/1 "2010-03-04T06:24:11Z")
I wonder if a factual answer can be found for this. In the 2007 World Cup, there was a New Zealander coaching 4 of the 20 of teams. What, if any other sports, world wide competitions boast this level of “foreign” involvement in national teams. 1. Must be a foreign national coaching a team (not an individual) 2. Must be a “world wide” competition Can anyone help me out? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250/2 "2010-03-04T09:47:03Z")
At the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa in June/July, 12 of the 32 teams that qualified for the finals are coached by foreign nationals. They are: Team: Australia Coach: Dutch [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43976/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43976/profile.html) Team: Cameroon Coach: French [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43849/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43849/profile.html) Team: Chile Coach: Argeninian [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43925/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43925/profile.html) Team: Côte d’Ivoire Coach: Yugoslavian/Bosnian [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43854/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43854/profile.html) Team: England Coach: Italian [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43942/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43942/profile.html) Team: Ghana Coach: Yugoslavian/Serbian [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43860/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43860/profile.html) Team: Greece Coach: German [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43949/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43949/profile.html) Team: Honduras Coach: Colombian [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43909/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43909/profile.html) Team: Nigeria Coach: Swedish [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43876/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43876/profile.html) Team: Paraguay Coach: Argentinian [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43928/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43928/profile.html) Team: South Africa Coach: Brazilian [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43883/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43883/profile.html) Team: Switzerland Coach: German [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43971/profile.html](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43971/profile.html) ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250/3 "2010-03-04T13:15:49Z")
Please note that Ivory coast hasn’t got a coach at the moment, they are looking for a new one after they sacked the last one for underperfoming at the African Cup of nations. appearantly Guus Hiddink is favourite for the job, so another dutchman. This is catually something that happens a lot at world cups, some country’s coaches are ‘popular’ and way overrepresented at the finals. i think this has happened with French and former Yugoslavian coaches before and at the last world cup there were 4 dutch coaches; Van Basten for the Netherlands, Hiddink for Australia, Beenhakker for Trinidad and Tobago and Advocaat for South Korea. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250/4 "2010-03-04T13:27:54Z")
Among the top soccer countries, though, it is unusual. The English FA of course now employs foreign coaches quite happily, but AFAIR none of Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands or France have done so. Portugal did have a foreign coach in the Brazilian Scolari. [edit] Although Wikipedia suggests that I should qualify that with “within recent years”. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250/5 "2010-03-04T13:56:33Z")
For the Netherlands I know that in the seventies we had an Austrian coach: Ernst Happel. But I get your drift, it is true it is mostly smaller football nations that have foreign coaches. But as you indicate with the English, it is not unheard of. I also remember that Portugal had a Scolari (a brazilian) as coach for the Euro 2008, and probably some time before that. Portugal and England have been some of the stronger European teams over the last decade (eventhough the English seem to suck every time the tournament finals start) and have had foreign coaches. edit, I appearantly didn’t read your post carefully enough ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250/6 "2010-03-04T14:32:59Z")
> [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](#): > > …This is **catually** something that happens a lot… I have a new favorite adverb. Meow! ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250/7 "2010-03-04T22:27:16Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > In the 2007 World Cup, there was a New Zealander coaching 4 of the 20 of teams. Was that the RWC where there were more New Zealanders playing for Canada than playing for New Zealand, or was that the one before? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coach-of-national-teams/531250/8 "2010-03-05T00:41:48Z")
Moving to The Game Room from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator