Sheffield United star Tahith Chong addresses Curaçao culture and outlines World Cup wish
Tahith Chong is determined to put Curaçao on the map ahead of their very first World Cup campaign.
Sheffield United winger Tahith Chong has suggested team spirit will be key to Curaçao’s hopes of enjoying their debut World Cup campaign ahead of the tournament getting underway on Thursday evening.
Curaçao, who are the smallest nation to have ever qualified for the World Cup, will get their campaign up and running against Germany on Sunday evening. Competing in Group E, the Caribbean island will also face the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Led by experienced boss Dick Advocaat, who will be the oldest coach to have ever managed at the World Cup at the age of 78, Curaçao got the better of the likes of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago in CONCACAF qualifying to reach the tournament for the very first time.
Taking on Germany, who have won the World Cup on four occasions, and Ecuador and the Ivory Coast, who have seven World Cup appearances between them, Curaçao will be considered as the rank outsiders to escape Group E and progress to the knockout stages.
Nevertheless, having enjoyed a fairytale adventure just to qualify for the tournament, Chong, who could leave Bramall Lane this summer after an underwhelming debut season with the Blades, is hopeful their team spirit will shine through.
“Everyone gets along,” Chong admitted, speaking to FIFA’s website. “It's a culture we've built with everything we do.
“It's all about the team and not individuals or anything like that. When you come here, you feel like you're coming home, you feel like you're accepted into the family, which is something (that is) obviously unique.”
With a population of just 156,000 and a land mass smaller than the Isle of Man, Curaçao have arrived in the United States as an unknown quantity. However, Chong hopes he and his teammates will be able to put the country on the map over the course of the tournament.
He continued: “With us being at the World Cup, we can represent Curaçao, and hopefully people find out a bit more about Curaçao and our history. I think a lot of people don't know Curaçao.
“I live in England, and Curaçao is not that well-known in England. I really hope we represent the country in a good way and give a tiny bit of a history lesson about Curaçao as a people and a country.”