Dutch soccer bosses have expressed their faith in national manager Louis van Gaal despite his team's failure to qualify for the World Cup finals.
Van Gaal met KNVB (Dutch Football Association) director Henk Kesler on Thursday, 24 hours after Portugal's 3-1 defeat of Cyprus meant the Dutch would not travel to Japan and South Korea for the 2002 finals.
"The faith in Van Gaal is great," Kesler said. Both sides will review the situation again early next year.
Van Gaal also has the support of Dutch fans. After last weekend's 1-0 defeat by Ireland, an opinion poll showed Van Gaal still had the backing of 67 per cent of those questioned.
The talks also covered the cancellation of a home friendly against Brazil in April 2002. Kesler cancelled the match for financial reasons, and Van Gaal was angry about not being consulted.
"We have cleared up some misunderstandings . . . between me and Van Gaal. The relationship is excellent," Kesler said.