Ronald Koeman was caught on camera picking his nose and eating it during the Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Poland in Euro 2024 on Sunday, prompting Joachim Low comparisons
Ronald Koeman has been branded “disgusting” after being caught on camera picking his nose and eating it during the Netherlands’ win against Poland at Euro 2024.
Koeman’s side kicked off their tournament with a 2-1 win in Hamburg thanks to Wout Weghorst’s late goal. Adam Buksa headed Poland into the lead from a corner before Cody Gakpo ’s deflected strike levelled things.
The Dutch dominated proceedings but it looked as though their poor finishing was going to cost them until Weghorst climbed off the bench. The giant centre-forward latched onto a loose ball in the box to fire first-time beyond Wojciech Szczesny and secure three points in Group D, yet the result wasn’t the only talking point on social media afterwards.
That’s because a TV camera trained on Netherlands head coach Koeman had captured some concerning footage. A clip posted on Reddit showed the 61-year-old former Southampton and Barcelona boss appearing to pluck a bogey out of his nostril with a finger before popping it into his mouth.
To make things worse, Koeman then stood up, licked his fingers and lifted his polo shirt to wipe his nose. The video soon went viral and attracted some scorn from bemused football fans.
“That’s… just disgusting,” posted one fan. Another added: “No Ronald that is so not right.” And a third simply wrote: “I mean, why would you do that?” beINSPORTS presenter Richard Keys also got in on the act, posting the clip on Twitter with the caption: “Oh dear. Where have we seen this before….?”
Given the result, Koeman is unlikely to be quizzed about his weird behaviour. But if he is, he could take a leaf out of Joachim Low’s book. Low was forced to explain himself after an infamous incident at Euro 2016 in which he reached down the front of his trousers and then sniffed his fingers during Germany’s game against Ukraine.
“I saw the pictures as well and obviously sometimes you do things subconsciously. It happened and I am sorry,” he said. “It was adrenaline and concentration. I will try to behave differently in the future.”
That clip went so viral online that, bizarrely, Germany forward Lukas Podolski was asked about it too. “It’s not an issue,” he said. “About 80 per cent of you here have at some point scratched your balls. Therefore, everything is good.”
That may have been the case, but Low had previous for gross acts, having been caught picking his nose on other occasions. One of those occasions came moments before a post-match handshake with Cristiano Ronaldo following a 4-0 win for Germany over Portugal at the 2014 World Cup. On another occasion, he also bizarrely touched his armpit before sniffing his hand.
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
