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There is no such thing as Oranje Hooligans

May 22nd, 2008 | By: Jan | 12 Comments »

Today, it’s a green pasture with grazing cows. But when the EC starts in two weeks, they’ll be here Hundreds of Oranje fans, in tents and caravans. All in bright orange of course. It’ll be a huge party. “There is no such thing as Oranje hooligans!”.

This camping is one of many that will host the thousands of Oranje fans. But not in Vienna. The Austrian capital is the first city in almost 20 years of International football denying the Dutch fans a so-called Oranje square in the city.

All campings in Bern, Switzerland, are booked out already. The Swiss expect an Orange invasion.

Some 1500 fans won’t be allowed to travel to the EC. They can’t buy tickets for the games and the police will monitor them to stop them for going anyway.

All these people have misbehaved in Holland earlier and are banned from football venues.

The Oranje camping organizer is sure, it’s going to be one big party. “We have organized Oranje camping trips before, in 2004 and 2006 and believe me: nothing went wrong. Of course, there’s music and drinking but it’s always a good time.”

Oranje fans are mellow. “These people aren’t hooligans. It’s families, professional people, elderlies, everything. These are mostly people from the provinces and the country. City people are more club-fans. The hooligans don’t like Oranje, that has always been the case.”

“I remember a moment in 2006. When in Leipzig, we went into the city to party. One shopkeeper had a stall with expensive China outside of his shop. When I saw it I though “My God, that’s going to be a disaster”. But nothing… The fans respected the shopkeeper and they all walked around the stall.”

Do my guests have tickets for the matches? “I don’t think so,” he says laughing. “You can’t really get them anymore. But they don’t come to watch the games live. They come to party. We all watch the match on the big screen on the Oranje squares. Man, those are parties!”

In Holland, in the meantime, Oranje fever hit the streets. The play offs are behind us, anotgher Dutchman won the CL cup, now it’s time for our Lads. Whole streets are being transformed and most of us love this time of year… Most of us… Not all.

50% of the Dutch people loathe this Oranje fever. They hate it to see orange houses, people going to work with orange wigs and all those stupid products at the supermarket or gas-stations. In particular elderly people don’t like the humbug and according to recreation parcs Landal Greenparks, their holiday bungalows are fully booked during the EC by people trying to escape the football madness.

I say…. BRING IT ON!!

Tags: Euro 2008, Holland, Oranje, van der Sar, van Persie

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Comments

By goose | May 22nd, 2008 at 6:07 am

pre 1988 lots of city hools supported Oranje… Feyenoord, Ajax, Den Haag..we all had our own section in De Kuip and it was great

ofcourse i dont like football violance but i have to be honest..i dont like to much ‘carnaval’either…people all dressed up like Napoleon etc., i really dont like it… i remember watching a Hol-Germ. game and i and my friends almost got trown out for saying things (not very nice things but ala) it is football, not childrens matinee!!

almost all Oranje fans who visit Oranje games are from the province
but sometimes even these fans bring something nice…check out this tube! very funny

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sLCRAkrVqQA

HOLLAND HOLLAND HOLLAND

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | May 22nd, 2008 at 7:08 am

Hahaha… I remember an outrage in Holland (was it in 2000) when Oranje fans who’d normally never would go to a game got a hold of tickets (through sponsored deals and Smith Chips promotions and stuff) and would go to matches dressed up like stupid Orange Indians and they didn’t even know who we were playing, or what off side is… And the die-hard football fans couldn’t get in. Or the sponsors wifes… I remember once at the VIP box at Feyenoord (sue me, but my wife organized the AD tournament for Feyenoord…), where this sponsor’s wife cheered when Feyenoord’s opponent scored! Everybody looked at her and she said…”oh…isn’t that Feyenoord then?”

The real football fans have a love-hate relationship with all these Oranje jokers, eh?

Posted from Australia

By Caleb | May 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 am

I think most people around the world like the outrageous costumes and such from the the dutch fans. They have a pretty good reputation as good, fun loving supporters from what I’ve seen.

Goose – What is the significance of the video? Is that an allusion to WWII or a football cheer? In Canada I don’t know much about WC or EC fans..

Posted from Canada

By goose | May 22nd, 2008 at 11:49 am

@Jan; true, most of my Den Haag friends never go to an Oranje game..but still some ‘real’football fans do…thats the nice thing about fc Den Haag…no sponsors at all!! haha
i just cant stand people for whom it all just a laugh…for me its very serious and i like to behave that way
remember; during the EC88 there was a lot of rioting between the germans, the english and us…. good times!! after our victory in 88 it all changed

@Caleb; its a reference to WOII.. the fans are doing a german bomb raid (like the germans did on Rotterdam in 1940) on a german square during WC06, the germans were not amused, haha.. so i was

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | May 22nd, 2008 at 5:07 pm

What most people abroad don’t know or realize…or maybe even frown upon is the impact WWII had and still has in Holland (can’t speak for Brits, French, Belgium people). Our generation grew up with the images of the war but more so the stories of our parents and grandparents.

Now, I know I don’t need to inform this blog on the atrocities committed, and I also don’t have to explain that “yes, it was 50+ years ago and you can’t hold all current Germans responsible”… All true.

But it is still under our skin, apparently. And every time Holland plays Germany, it comes up. Not like an organized thing, it just happens.

And most of the time not in an overly aggressive way, but with a lot of black humour. Singing “We want our bikes back” (reference to the fact that the Germans stole the Dutch people’s bikes) and those Air raid acts.

I personally, when I let my heart and ratio speak, don’t like the war references and all, but I can’t help myself when I’m in a German stadium, right before Germany – Oranje and I hear the Dutch supporters sing: we want our bikes back, I can’t help smiling….

Posted from Australia

By HUP | May 22nd, 2008 at 5:12 pm

The fans are a big reason why I become a dutch supporter when I was young. I think the italians and portuguese can learn from us on how to be a proper football fan.

Posted from Canada

By Lerkot | May 22nd, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Jan. I need help. Could you find an Hoofdklasse team of the year? Im trying to sign a Dutch player to Sweden but its not the easiest of tasks.

By Jan | May 22nd, 2008 at 6:43 pm

Lerkot, interesting question.

Our amateur competition is split into Saturday and Sunday competitions. The Saturday version was developed – I think – to allow church abiding youngsters (lots of them in the country-side) to play as well. Nowadays is not that important anymore, but the division still exists. Then there’s classed within the Saturday and Sunday Hoofdklasses as well. Within these different hoofdklasses there are several big name amateur clubs who have been at the top for decades.

I’ll email you one on one, ok? So you can maybe elaborate a little bit more on this challenge without the whole world reading over our shoulders .

I mean, I could easily answer you question specifically here, but maybe I can be of more help if you could share a bit more

Posted from Australia

By Finnster01 | May 23rd, 2008 at 4:52 am

Never ever had a problem with Dutch fans, that includes club level. Granted, the logistics at the moment makes Dutch football and Oranje a bit of a challenge for me, but back in the day (of hooligans) before I moved to the States, I saw many Ajax and also Oranje games.

It was no different than going to a game in England (where I was living at the time). Good atmosphere, nice bit of banter amongst fans, and if you just used common sense coming and going to the stadium nothing would ever happen to you.

I’ve had many peaceful beers with fellow Dutch football fans (including Feyenoord) whilst wearing my old beat up Johan Neeskens Ajax shirt from 1972 (still have it!!!).

Dutch fans, club and Oranje level, are by and large great!! There is a small minority of trouble makers, but they are not football fans. They just want trouble. Every country has those, even Norway!!

Posted from United States

By Finnster01 | May 23rd, 2008 at 4:58 am

See the blonde on the bike? Now, that is what I am talking about!!! Absolute classic Holland!!!

@Jan & Goose, no wonder you want your bikes back:-)

Posted from United States

By goose | May 23rd, 2008 at 7:05 am

@finnster; hahahaha// i knew you were gonna make a comment on the blonde lady!! (and i agree, thats the Holland I love)

… guess we should be happy the germans didnt take our blondes!! a bike can be replaced

Posted from Netherlands

By Ruud | May 24th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

It’s true no Hooligans at the National team, however in the competition there is a big reputation. Feyenoord for an example are probably one of the worst in Europe and the World, recently kicked out of UEFA cup for that. Cheers, Ruud

Posted from United Kingdom