Support from former PSV player for Cody Gakpo: “Let it be on him.”

It may not have escaped anyone that Cody Gakpo and his girlfriend brought the news to light last weekend that their unborn child has died. Nevertheless, Gakpo will simply remain in the squad of the Netherlands national team for the World Cup in North America.

This decision can count on a lot of support from former PSV player André Ooijer, who saw Gakpo from 2020/2021 to the first half of 2022/2023 at PSV as assistant coach to Roger Schmidt. Ooijer says this in the NOS program WK Avond.

Ooijer is especially annoyed by the opinions of people outside the situation surrounding the former PSV striker. ''You hear people now saying that he should go home and that he isn't mentally ready. Then I think to myself: let Cody decide for himself'', the 55-cap international says to NOS.

According to the former defender, there is only one person who can make the decision in such a situation. ''It is an adult, very stable guy—let him make the choices he needs to make. Respect what he himself thinks, and if he then indicates: I can't play, or I can't handle it. Leave it up to him. I hear things now and then in the media, and then I really think: what business is it of yours? You don't know that boy and you don't know the situation. Leave that guy alone'', Ooijer continues.

Subsequently, Ooijer goes into the situation involving the stillborn child of former team-mate at Oranje Khalid Boulahrouz during the 2008 European Championship in Austria & Switzerland shortly before the match Netherlands - Russia (1-3) in the quarterfinal. ''We experienced it ourselves with Khalid Boulahrouz in 2008, but leave it with the person it concerns. They either draw strength from it there or they don't,'' said the former PSV player.

Ron Jans also agrees with the words of Ooijer. ''These are life truths. Let people decide for themselves how they deal with them and let it be up to them'', concludes Jans.