Vaessen on Suriname duty: “Nice to get away from the Netherlands for a while” | OneFootball

Etienne Vaessen is away at the Gold Cup with the Suriname national team, and has found his international involvement a happy escape from recent controversy in the Netherlands.

The FC Groningen goalkeeper was in the news last month after he was seen fighting at the end of his side’s clash with Ajax. After the match, a brawl broke out and Vaessen lashed out at Felipe Sanchez Mateos, then assistant coach of the Amsterdammers.

“It’s nice to be away from the Netherlands for a while and that I can leave this behind me. At a certain point, it was all about that and not about the good season I had,” Vaessen reflected in an interview with De Telegraaf.

“Of course I’m upset about how things turned out, but I accepted the punishment and drew a line under it for myself now,” said Vaessen.

Natio will play its opening match against Costa Rica on June 16. Suriname will later face Mexico and the Dominican Republic in the group stage.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield