Unassuming Go Ahead Eagles boss Simonis booked a holiday during the cup final weekend | OneFootball

Paul Simonis was planning to spend the Easter weekend abroad a few months ago. The Go Ahead Eagles coach revealed in the run-up to the KNVB Beker final victory over AZ Alkmaar, that such was the surprise nature of reaching the showpiece event at De Kuip, he was set for a holiday in Italy.

“A friend of my girlfriend lives in Venice, so the three of us were going to go there for a weekend,” Simonis said in a story in which Voetbal International followed him in the run-up to the final.

“Already booked during the Christmas break, we had just knocked out Sparta in the cup. The only thing that could happen was the cup final. But I thought: the chance of us reaching that is zero, so this is possible. But yes, as you may know, we did make it, haha.

“Now my girlfriend is going with the little one. They are coming back on Sunday, so my girlfriend will be there in De Kuip. The little one is still too young.”

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield