Feyenoord officially sack Robin van Persie

Former Manchester United forward Robin van Persie has been sacked by Dutch Eredivisie side Feyenoord.

The news broke on Sunday afternoon, before being officially confirmed by Feyenoord in the evening.

A statement via their website read, ‘Feyenoord will begin the 2026-2027 season with a new head coach. Robin van Persie was informed of this decision today during a meeting with the club’s management.’

The club’s Technical Director Dévy Rigaux spoke on the decision, admitting, “Robin van Persie has given everything for the club over the past 18 months. He deserves credit for guiding the team through a challenging season and ultimately securing second place. That ensured qualification for the UEFA Champions League, which is of great importance to the club.

“We conducted a thorough internal evaluation in which we looked at several factors, including the development of the team’s performances and the downward trend in points collected, both in Europe and in the Eredivisie. The conclusion was that it would be better to start the new season with a new head coach.“

Rigaux’s assessment is correct – a run of just 3 wins in 14 games between October and January overall derailed Feyenoord’s domestic season, as they finished 19 points off first-placed PSV Eindhoven. Such inconsistency isn’t ideal for a title-chasing side, and ultimately cost the club’s season and van Persie’s job.

Van Persie, an icon at Old Trafford who scored 58 goals in 105 appearances between 2012 and 2015, will now be a free agent this summer. His next steps in football management are unclear.

At the end of their statement, Feyenoord confirmed that they expect to announce Van Persie’s successor in the coming weeks. It’ll be a quick turnaround, but the decision to sack their manager came extremely late on after the conclusion of the domestic season.

It will certainly be interesting to see who is brought in at the Dutch club, as they chase to improve upon van Persie’s 16-month tenure.