Van Basten makess Dutch media co-responsible for Dutch success

Three days for the second WC match of Holland against Ivory Coast, Marco van Basten came with an extraordinary request during the Thuesday press conference. He asked the Dutch media to support his interests in the Dutch team and Dutch football in general. “I want all noses to head in the same direction”, van Basten used the old Dutch proverb. “It’s in every one’s interest when we perform well. Also in the interest of the press. We all want this team to do well, don’t we?”.

Van Basten came with this request after an innocent and positively meant remark by Van Persie about Robben was exaggerated greatly in the foreign press. Spanish journalists only wanted to talk about the first Oranje row of the WC event. The German Bild – never too busy to pay attention to slut and gore – came with their firm diagnose: the first rift in Oranje was there.

In truth, van Persie and Robben are still good mates. The Arsenal player only wanted to comment – naieve as he still is – on the potential of Oranje, once Robben opens his eyes more for other players to involve in his brilliant play.
The Dutch media, who concurred with van Persie’s comments, wrote the quote down in a nuanced way. Foreign press, on the other hand, smelled blood and almost created the first drama. Van Basten went on: “YOu are free to do and say what you want. But, you know how foreign journalists love these kind of things and they like to find wounds in the Dutch camp to throw salt into. That is partly your responsibility!”

Van Basten remarks resulted in a storm of criticism among the Dutch journalists. “Who the hell does this coach think he is?? (Marco van Basten! – Jan). It’s our responsibility to inform people on what happens and what is said. We can’t help it if others interpret those remarks differently. We determine what we can and can not do…”.

Maybe we do have a first row in the Dutch camp. But it’s between van Basten and the Dutch press…