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Orange fans face black mood
Loss to Brazil brings Dutch supporters back to earth
Posted: Wednesday July 08, 1998 11:56 AM
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The Dutch faithful stuck with their team until the end (AP) |
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
(AP) -- For a month, the Dutch painted the town orange. But overnight, the
national mood has faded to black, and a hangover has swallowed up the high.
With the World Cup hopes of its dream team suddenly dashed, the
Netherlands awoke Wednesday gruff and groggy, doing what it could to piece
together some pride after losing to Brazil in a
nail-biting semifinal.
Barkeeps swept up orange confetti and peeled beer-soaked orange cocktail
napkins from sidewalks, contemplating how a tiny twist of events Tuesday
night might have taken Holland to the final for the first time in 20 years.
Instead, the Dutch are down and out. Brazil won 4-2 on a penalty shootout
after a 1-1 tie in regulation play and overtime, advancing to Sunday's
final to face the winner of Wednesday night's match between France and Croatia. The
Dutch have to settle for the third-place match Saturday against the loser
of the France-croatia semifinal Wednesday night.
"Silence. A Fog Hangs Over the Living Room," read a front-page headline in
the daily De Volkskrant.
"It will take me years to recover," muttered Remco Zannis, an
Amsterdammer aimlessly wandering the streets of the Dutch capital after the
fateful match.
To call the Dutch soccer-crazy doesn't even come close to reality. This
is a nation obsessed, and the grace and power of the Orangemen as they
steadily advanced toward the Holy Grail had captured the country's
imagination.
From the beer-bellied port workers of Rotterdam to the ruddy-faced farmers
in Frieslnd, more than 11 million Dutchmen tuned in to watch Tuesday's
semifinal. Traffic, typically bumper to bumper in this crowded land of 15
million, was practically nonexistent for a couple of hours every time the
Dutch played.
Orange, the national color, was everywhere.
Briefcase-toting businessmen rode the trains to work wearing ridiculous
orange wigs and goofy grins. The truly die-hard dyed hair, mustaches,
beards, even eyebrows Day-Glo orange. Long strings of triangular orange
flags fluttered outside homes, offices and factories.
On Amsterdam's central Leidseplein square, soccer balls dangled like
Christmas ornaments from trees wrapped in orange plastic, and fountains
spewed orange-colored water.
In the southern city of Tilburg, one farmer even painted the cows in his
field orange.
That party atmosphere has gone from gay to gray. The drinking songs have
faded, now that the Cup has slipped from Holland's hands.
"What can you do? What can I say?," a listless Jeroen Oudshoorn said from
behind he counter of his Amsterdam sporting goods store, throwing up his
hands.
"We played very well, but we didn't have luck. We did the best we could."
As the Dutch set about shaking off their depression and looking ahead
to Saturday's consolation match, they could at least take some comfort in
an amusingly timed business development.
The biggest Dutch bank, ABN Amro, announced Wednesday it's taking over
Brazil's No. 4 bank, Banco Real, for $2.1 billion in cash.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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