Football News: Euro 2024 Semifinal Showdown Between England and Netherlands Set to Captivate Fans
German commuters on the A2 may have spotted a bright orange doubledecker bus heading north towards Dortmund on Tuesday afternoon. This iconic vehicle, a 1980 rear-engined Bristol VRT, is set to lead a parade of an astonishing 75,000 Dutch fans to the Westfalenstadion for the highly anticipated Euro 2024 semifinal clash between England and the Netherlands on Wednesday.
“We’ve become the symbol of our supporters”
“We’ve become the symbol of our supporters,” says Harm Otten, 61, an HR manager at DHL who bought the English doubledecker online in 2004 with the intention of using it to travel in style to Dutch games during that year’s Euros in Portugal. The tradition has since continued, with the bus spearheading the Oranje army of Dutch support in tournaments around the world, from São Paulo to Sheffield, Kharkiv to Qatar.
On Wednesday, the Dutch fans will begin a two-mile march from the designated fan zone on Dortmund’s Friedensplatz to the stadium at around 4 pm local time (5 pm BST), with the iconic bus leading the way. Performing on the bus will be Rob Kemps, 38, a comedian-cum-singer, whose 2015 party song, “Links Rechts (Left Right),” has become the theme tune of the Dutch supporters, captivating even the German fans.
The Dutch Presence
The proximity of the German city to the Netherlands border means the number of Dutch fans, of which as many as 60,000 will be without a match ticket, will vastly outstrip the 16,000 England fans in the stadium and the further 1,000 expected outside. The Dutch presence will be most obvious in the famous south terrace, known as the “Yellow Wall” during Borussia Dortmund games, which will become a sea of orange on Wednesday night.
While the sheer scale of the Dutch support poses a logistical challenge for the organizers, Martin Sauer, the official responsible for organizing the Euros in Dortmund, has assured that the fan zones will be able to accommodate the influx of visitors. The English fans, on the other hand, are expected to opt for pubs and restaurants rather than the public viewing areas.
A Thrilling Semifinal Showdown
Neither England nor the Netherlands have dazzled throughout the tournament, but Esther Huijsmans, 48, from Rotterdam, one of the 34 members of the Oranje bus association, believes the result could go either way. “I think in the end it is about joy,” she says. “There are so many bad things in the world and people just want to have fun.”
The stage is set for a thrilling Euro 2024 semifinal showdown between the England and the Netherlands, with the iconic orange doubledecker bus leading the Dutch fans in what promises to be a captivating display of football passion and celebration.
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