Germany is the host, Türkiye is at home and the Netherlands feels at home. It’s not just the organizer who feels overwhelmingly supported in the stands. The stadiums, for now, have all been filled, and the color seen in the stands on the fans’ shirts helps to calculate the size of each fan base.
Maybe it deserves a special mention Scotland, with the thousands of followers who have traveled without entry to Germany, just to enjoy the event. From Munich to Cologne to conclude in Stuttgart, this Sunday, where they have the opportunity to qualify if they beat Hungary. They fill the city centers and gather around cases of beer or on the terraces of bars for hours and hours. There is no limitation on the purchase of alcohol inside or outside the stadiums. After the games, strange figures of contortionists are seen as a result of excesses.
Image of the Dutch stands in the Poland-Netherlands / Clemens Bilan / Efe
Their blue jackets are discreet. The oranges are much more striking. There is a centuries-old tradition of Dutch fans of accompanying the football team. Since 1974 and the then called Holland, nicknamed A Clockwork Orange that was planted in the final of the World Cup, precisely organized by Germany. The confluence of the two countries in the final, and the iconic presence of their respective captains, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff, They symbolized a now diluted football rivalry. Surely due to the absence of such charismatic footballers.
No team has played as many games in Germany as the Netherlands. The Germans have organized two World Cups (1974 and 2006) and two European Championships (1988 and 2024). Germany has played 20 games in those tournaments (including two in this edition), and the Netherlands has 18. “We can deal with the bad moments thanks to the fans,” said Cody Gakpo after the game with Poland.
The Netherlands won the 1988 Euro Cup in Germany, the only title in its history.
Hundreds of fans watch the Netherlands-France match in Leipzig. / Mohamed Messara / Efe
The two teams played seven games in 1974; In 1988 Germany played four and the Netherlands five. They met in the semifinal, and the orange team won 1-2. Ronald Koeman scored the momentary equalizer from a penalty. The duel was played in Hamburg, the city to which the current coach returned last Sunday for the duel against Austria.
The final was held in Munich and the Netherlands won the title, the only one in its history, after winning 2-0. On Tuesday it will be 36 years. In 2006, Germany repeated with seven (lost the semifinal and fought for third and fourth place) and the Netherlands succumbed in the round of 16 (four).
Former players Gerald Vanenburg and Danny Koevermans, leading a caravan of cars to Hamburg. / Vincent Jannink / Efe
Bad group, bad venues
The draw for the final phase of this competition, however, did not please the Dutch fans. Not so much because of the rivals in group D (France, Austria and then Poland, when they triumphed in the play-offs), but because of the match venues: Hamburg, Leipzig and Berlin. The three furthest from the border that separates them.
Hamburg is almost 300 kilometers from Groningen (the closest urban center); Leipzig, site of the clash with France, is 570 meters from Eindhoven; the Olympic stadium in Berlin, where they will face Austria, 510 from Enschede. Only Munich was left to extend the distance: more than 700 km. Nothing to do, of course, with Düsseldorf (110 km), Cologne, Dortmund or Gelsenkirchen, in a radius of less than 170 km. Cars with Dutch license plates cross the motorways from west to east.
The Dutch team has the misfortune of playing in three of the four venues furthest from the border: Hamburg, Leipzig and Berlin.
The stands known as the ‘yellow wall’ of the Westfalenstadion (Signa Iduna Park) in Dortmund, converted into red for the Turkish fans / La Presse / AP
Turkish concentration
Son the four headquarters of the Ruhr region, within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populated area of the country, and where the highest density of inhabitants of Turkish origin is concentrated, following the immigration process opened after the Second World War. Türkiye, as a team, participates for the first time in a final tournament on German soil. A detail that accentuates the enthusiasm unleashed around the selection.
The Turkish team goes around the field in Dortmund, after beating Georgia. / Georgi Licovski / Efe
Türkiye plays its first official competition in Germany of the four previously organized.
If the Netherlands plays at home, Türkiye plays at home. In Dortmund the team made its debut against Georgia (3-1) and in Dortmund they face Portugal. The third match will be in Hamburg. The first day highlighted a small fight in the stands before the start, on a day of storms and bad weather that did not deter fans from filling the stadium. Signa Iduna Park. The so-called yellow wall formed by the Borussia Dortmund fans, the title of the field, turned red.
The identification between Turks and Germans is easy. It becomes a fusion. There are several Vincenzo Montella selectees who were born in Germany and have chosen the Turkish team. No one better suited to explain it than Salih Özcan.
Turkish fans during the match against Georgia. / Christophe Neundorf / Efe
“I feel like I’m playing at home,” admits Salih Özcan, Turkish international, born in Cologne and Borussia Dortmund footballer.
Identity question
“I was born and raised in Germany, but I feel Turkish, it’s a question of identity,” he commented on Monday. The 26-year-old midfielder is from Cologne and plays for Dortmund. “I feel like I’m playing at home. It’s really a big advantage for us to play in Germany,” he acknowledged, urging the fans to leave their throats in the stands. They did it against Georgia and they will do it against Portugal and the Czech Republic.
Captain Hakan Çalhanoglu He plays for Inter Milan. He was born in Mannheim and progressed at Karlsruher, Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen. Kaan Ayhan, defensa, es de Gelsenkirchen and started playing for Schalke 04; Kenan Yildiz grew up in Regensburg, was a youth player at Bayern Munich and has jumped directly to Juventus Turin. Cenk Tosun, the Besiktas forward, is a native of Wetzlar.
2024-06-22 09:59:13
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