Raymond van Barneveld will soon make a comeback and does so with a new manager by his side. Jaco Van Bodegem makes way for Ben de Kok and the former is at peace with that.
Van Bodegem has been representing Van Barneveld's interests since 2018. "Raymond did not want to end the cooperation with me, but I said that he had to do that because it would give him financial peace. I could not guarantee that I would get enough sponsors for him in these times of crisis." says Van Bodegem to Nu.nl.
"Deep down I knew a little bit that it was going this way", he continues. "Raymond loves money and likes to let his head hang on it. But no hard feelings, on the contrary even. I fully understand the situation and really hope that it will turn out well for Raymond."
Doubts about chances of success
Van Bodegem does have his doubts about the comeback of 'Barney'. "It will be tough for Raymond. By stopping the BDO, there will probably be many more players than usual participating in Q-School. But he thinks he is ready. He certainly still has it in his locker. I am only afraid that if things go wrong two or three times, he will quit. "