Van Gaal's not happy!

By Chris
July 11 2014

New Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has called for the World Cup third-place play-off to be scrapped, as he prepares for his final game in charge of the Netherlands - a bronze medal clash against hosts Brazil.

Netherlands' hopes of winning the tournament were ended on Wednesday evening, as they suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat to Argentina after a goalless 120 minutes.

They return to action on Saturday as they battle Brazil for third place - but it is a match van Gaal wishes to see abandoned from football's fixture calendar.

"This match should never be played. I've been saying that for 10 years; it's unfair," said the 62-year-old.

"There is only one award that counts and that is becoming World Champions."

He added: "The worst thing is that here is a chance you are going to lose twice in a row."

In recent tournaments, the third-placed play-off has proved to be amongst the most entertaining matches. In 2010, Germany edged out Uruguay by a single strike in a five-goal thriller, whilst in 2002 Turkey beat South Korea by the same scoreline.