René van der Gijp, a 15-time international, was not impressed with De Jong's handling of the press conference at the presentation of Xavi. He described the scenes as 'painful' and stated that De Jong is 'not in his place' when dealing with the media. Nigel de Jong is the director of top football at the KNVB. De Jong was involved in the appointment of Xavi as the new coach of the Dutch national team, along with Kees Jansma and Clarence Seedorf. Xavi signed a contract with the Dutch national team until the 2030 World Cup.
Van der Gijp's criticism is not isolated, as Wim Kieft also expressed his agreement with the KNVB legend's views. De Jong took up his role at the beginning of 2023 and was part of the team that decided on the successor to Ronald Koeman as coach of the Dutch national team. The criticism of De Jong's performance in the press conference has raised questions about his ability to handle the media and represent the KNVB effectively.