De Graafschap Manager Defeats Cambuur, His Next Employers, In Dutch Play-Offs

Henk de Jong found himself in the most awkward of footballing situations last night when his current employers beat his next employers.

The 54-year old has been manager of De Graafschap since 2017 but going into the has already signed a new deal to become manager of Cambuur next season for the second time.

The two teams came up against one another in the Dutch play-offs last night after De Graafschap finished 17th in the Eredivisie and were forced into a two-legged play-off tie with second-tier promotion-relegation tie Cambuur.

The first leg finished 1-1 but De Graafschap, nicknamed the Super Farmers, prevailed 2-0 in the second fixture on home soil courtesy of a first-half brace from Charlison Benschop.

It means De Jong denied his new club the chance to return to the Eredivisie and will be managing in the Eerste Divisie, where games are played on a Friday night, next term.

And interestingly, despite the unusual situation, De Jong feels as though remaining in the second division is a blessing in disguise for Cambuur.

"Whether I have thought about that? Yes, and that is really good", De Jong told FOX Sports after the game.

"If Cambuur had won, I would have congratulated them and given them a hand, but it is not good for the club to be promoted now. It will take two to 2.5 years for the new stadium to arrive It needs time.

"In 2.5 years you can build a new team. Promotion is often not so difficult, but staying in it is much more difficult with the possibilities that we have."

In 2017/18 a similar instance occured when Niko Kovac guided Eintracht Frankfurt to their first trophy in 30 year at the expense of Bayern Munich, who had already signed him up as their new manager.

Around the same time here was also massive drama involving Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij when he inadvertently helped his new team qualify for the Champions League, giving away a penalty and turning the game on its head.

Meanwhile, De Jong still has one game in charge of De Graafschap, the final play-off game against Sparta Rotterdam on 28 May.

Topics: Football News, Niko Kovac, Football, Eredivisie, Dutch football

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

@https://twitter.com/JoshLawless_