Rainbow Nation has an orange tinge
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Johannesburg, July 10: Johannesburg is getting ready for a Dutch party. Holland has an historic connection with South Africa. White Afrikaaners here are Dutch descendants. In addition, more than 60,000 Netherlands citizens live in the Rainbow Nation. Rugby and cricket have traditionally been the games of South Africa’s whites.
But the World Cup has seen them join the celebration of the world’s most popular sport with great enthusiasm. Holland’s progress to the final has given Afrikaaners a reason to take out their vuvuzelas after the ouster of Bafana Bafana. One group even went to the extent of conducting a ritual, which was similar to black magic, to ensure Oranje win.
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When Spain and The Netherlands take the field on Sunday, sports goods behemoths, Nike and Adidas, will be keeping their fingers crossed about the final outcome. The match at Soccer City has been nicely set up with a Nike team, The Netherlands, facing an Adidas team, Spain. Both companies have spent a fortune on advertisements in the run-up to the event and they will be eager to reap the benefits of having a champion side. While Adidas has been grabbing eye-balls through its status as official Fifa partner, Nike has concentrated on innovative ads to score over its arch-rival.
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The Capellos, Dungas and Maradonas are gone. The two last men standing aren’t anyone’s idea of glamour coaches. Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk has done something his illustrious predecessors such as Guus Hiddink, Dick Advocaat and Marco van Basten haven’t been able to achieve.
When Van Marwijk took over the Dutch reins from Van Basten in 2008 questions were raised about his international experience. Barring a Uefa Cup with Feyenoord in 2002, he hadn’t won a lot in club football. But he has proved his doubters wrong by taking the Netherlands to their first World Cup final in 32 years.
Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has a sparkling club CV. But the winner of two Champions League titles with Real Madrid always resembles a worried pensioner. He didn’t allow himself a smile even when Carles Puyol headed Spain ahead in the semifinal.
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The attitudes of Spanish and Dutch players are a study in contrast. The Netherlands’ players are known to speak their minds on any subject. They can be brutally frank on football matters. Robin van Persie confronted his coach at the touchline after being substituted against Slovakia in the second round here.
The Spanish players, on the other hand, are modest to a fault. They haven’t hit one jarring note here.
It is difficult to tell whether the streak is ingrained in their psyche but humility runs through the current team.
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