Kidnapping kept Cruijff out of World Cup

An attempted kidnapping in 1977 was the reason Dutch football star Johan Cruijff did not take part in the 1978 World Cup, Cruijff told Spanish radio station Radio Catalunya, news agency AP reports on Wednesday.


‘You need to be 200% to take part in the World Cup,’ said Cruijff, who did not explain how the kidnapping was foiled. The player and his family were under police guard for the next four months.
The Netherlands reached the final but lost 3-1 to host nation Argentina.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation