There are presently many rumours circulating in the world of Dutch football as national coach Marco van Basten made it known that he will leave the post after the European Championships 2008. Assistant coach John van 't Schip is also expected to leave.

Ever since the news was made worldwide he has been linked to the vacant position at Ajax Amsterdam; the club where he played. Van Basten also has managerial ties to the club where he coached the Ajax second team. At the moment  Adri Coster is serving as an interim coach for Ajax. If the move to Ajax turns out to be true,  van Basten will see pressure on him increase substantially. Indeed, in light of this rumour, he runs the risk of heavy criticism if he selects too many players from Ajax for the national side in 2008. This would be seen as a conflict of interest.

Several sources have reported that the shortlist for the Dutch FA consists of 4 coaches, namely: Frank Rijkaard (FC Barcelona), Co Adriaanse (Al Sadd), Bert van Marwijk (Feyenoord Rotterdam) and Fred Rutten (FC Twente). All are currently under contract by their respective clubs. As a result, it's going to be tough to get them. A surprise missing candidate is Martin Jol, the former coach of Tottenham Hotspur. He has all the credentials and enjoyed successes everywhere he coached.  

Stay tuned.