Suriname is on the verge of something special happening. A win over El Salvador this week would take them a big step towards qualifying for the World Cup, and they could also become the lowest ranked team to achieve that feat since such rankings were invented.
North Korea ranked 105th in the 2010 World Cup. Suriname is ranked 126th in the world, but is showing an upward trend. With a population of just over 600,000 people, Iceland is the only country taking part in the World Cup with a smaller population.
Brian Tevreden, Suriname’s general manager, could only smile when asked what all this means to people. “It’s like a fairy tale,” he said. sky sports. “Everywhere you go, people are talking about it. You can feel the excitement, the pressure, the tension in the air.”
He added: “Tickets for the El Salvador match were sold out in 30 minutes. Imagine if we qualified for the World Cup. It’s crazy. The country will be shut down for a month. But it’s a very exciting time for the country. Everything is falling into place.”
When Tevreden, Reading’s former director of football, took charge four years ago, such a rise would have been unthinkable. “No one would have imagined it,” he admits. “We didn’t even have the right balls to train with.” He remembers one of his early sessions.
“I started laughing and thought, ‘Fuck, this is going to be a long project.’” The person who spoke with him at the time was the team’s head coach, Stanley Menzo, now in his second year in charge. The former Ajax goalkeeper is a legendary figure in Suriname.
Suriname coach Stanley Menzo is a legendary figure since his time at Ajax.
Identified by Johan Cruyff as a goalkeeper who could play from the back, Menzo is considered one of the key figures in shaping the modern goalkeeper. But this could be a much bigger legacy. “It was really important to have him back,” Tevreden said.
“He’s a little older, although he doesn’t like what I say, and he has a good relationship with the guys.” In fact, defender Shaquille Pinas says he wants to “be like his son” and fight for the cause, which is evident in his impressive results so far.
An away win against El Salvador led them down this path. The equalizer in stoppage time against Guatemala was crucial. “I looked around the entire stadium and saw people from different cultures holding on to each other and cheering together,” Tevreden remembers. “People were crying.”
In their last game away to Panama, they missed out on a win after scoring an equalizer in the 96th minute, but still finished top of the group with two games remaining. “I reminded Stan of our disappointing first training session with the draw against Panama. Look how far we have come.”
Suriname’s second goal came against El Salvador in September.
The big question, of course, is how they did it. The key to unlocking its potential comes from FIFA rule changes. The Football Association has changed its eligibility criteria and now allows Surinamese-born Dutch-born players a ‘sports passport’.
Fifty years after Suriname gained independence from the Netherlands, possibilities opened up. This country on South America’s Caribbean coast has long been a source of talent, with many of the Netherlands’ best players having roots there.
Menzo, Ruud Gullit, Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids are all of Surinamese heritage. Even now, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk is of Suriname origin, influenced by his mother. Tevreden’s challenge was to convince more players.
It wasn’t easy. Ten years ago, Suriname ranked 191st out of 209 teams ranked by FIFA. Their reputation was in the bathroom. “The players didn’t want to come because they had heard the stories,” Tevreden admitted. They are starting to restore their reputation.
“People said to me, ‘Brian, you’re going to ruin the name.’ But I had a vision. We had to change our mindset and our expertise. The hotel had to be good, the food had to be good.” A lot of time, money and effort goes into player identification.
“We have a large database of players. We have a whole recruiting team and we also work with data companies.” They are always discovering new players. Tevreden is a former player and must become a manager and salesman.
“We did a lot of presentations in the Netherlands. It’s not just the players. You have to convince the coaches, the wives and other people. They start to believe it. We brought in two or three young players and they started telling other people.” We shared our positive experiences.
“One player told me that if he had known how good it was, he would have come years ago. It was a good feeling. At first, coaches told players they couldn’t play for us. Now coaches call me about players.” World Cup prospects can do that.
Dutch-born Surinamese midfielder Justin Ronwijk celebrates a goal.
Now former Union Berlin and Real Sociedad forward Sheraldo Becker has joined the team. Huddersfield defender Radinio Balker and midfielder Dhoraso Klas – the two scorers in the away win against El Salvador – Becker was born in Amsterdam.
There are still challenges. Not everyone in Suriname is enthusiastic about the influx of players from the Netherlands. “The media wasn’t happy about it. There was a lot of resistance.” Local pride made Tevreden feel awkward introducing European ideas.
“At first they said, ‘We’ve been here for 30 years, what can you explain to us?’ But as is often the case in football, results help shape the narrative. More and more people are appreciating change. Tevreden wants to create something.
“We have one employee from the Netherlands and one from Surinam in every department. We need local employees to help them gain knowledge and develop themselves. It’s important to educate, give back and create something sustainable.”
As for the Dutch-born contingent, they too are enriched by their connection to their roots. None more so than Tevreden, whose Surinamese mother died of cancer two years ago. He still checks his phone every time he arrives in Paramaribo, the country’s capital.
“When I landed, I would get a phone call or text from my mom asking if I was safe.” The emotions are still raw. “This is absolutely ridiculous.” But it reassures him to think how proud she must be now. “She always told me to follow my dreams,” he explains.
“I told her the 2026 World Cup was my dream. She told me ‘you will do it’.” Now there are just two games left to prove her right. “No one gave Suriname a chance,” he added reflectively. “But we have to do this now. It’s our time.”
