Dutch World Cup party gets bigger

CAPE TOWN - The World Cup party is getting bigger and louder for Dutch fans and the celebrations will continue for days after the Netherlands made it to the final.

Immediately after the Netherlands beat Uruguay 3-2 Tuesday, thousands of fans thronged the party zones in this port city and South Africa’s No.1 tourist destination was drenched in orange, the colour of the national team.

The bars, pubs and the discs were overflowing with Dutch fans as they partied late till Wednesday morning. Local authorities stepped up security on Long Street, the most happening place in the city.

But the Dutch, known for their friendly nature, didn’t seem to trouble the security officials.

According to FIFA estimates, the majority of 62,000 spectators at Green Point Stadium were Dutch, and another 50,000 thronged the fan park at the Central Business District to watch the match on several giant screens.

“I am here to cheer for the team. I know what it feels like to have my team in a World Cup final. The great team of the 70s could not win the World Cup, but this time we are are hopeful that we will break the jinx,” Patrick Anderson, a Dutch fan, told IANS.

The area in and around the stadium was a visual delight before the match, and the Long Street was a sea of orange stretching as far as the eye could see.

“Many Dutch fans were nervous about the result. They did not want to get their hopes up because they had been let down by the national team too many times. But the win has surprised us all,” Anderson added.

More than 30 years after twice finishing World Cup runner-up 1970s - the Netherlands lost to West Germany in 1974 and to Argentina in 1978 - the Dutch booked their place in another final, and fans had all the reasons to party hard.

Drenched in beer, John Patkinson, a Dutch supporter, said: “This is like a dream for the Dutch and we want to live every moment of this historic victory.”

The Dutch players have started to dream of their maiden World Cup title and so have the fans.

“We will leave South Africa with the world title. We will do it. This time we will not return empty handed,” Annika Martinsen, a Dutch fan who, has come all the way from Amsterdam, told IANS.

Dutch fans will be seeking revenge If they meet Germany in the final. They lost 1-2

to erstwhile West Germany in 1974.

“Germany are our biggest rivals and to beat them in the final would be a great feeling,” said Martin Olsen, another fan.

(Abhishek Roy can be contacted at abhishek.roy@ians.in)