For Dutch Fans, Football Matter Of Life And Death
For Dutch fans, football a matter of life and death
Agence France-Presse
The Hague, July 11, 2010
Virtually the whole of the population of the Netherlands were gearing up for a nationwide party amid anticipation of the Oranje winning the World Cup for the first time when they face European champions Spain. However, the Dutch Football Federation did issue a health warning for supporters to be careful in the amount of alcohol they drank and to try and restrain their emotions during the final itself.
“The risk of cardiac arrest is between 1.5 to 2.5 times higher with football fans during an important competition than normal times,” it said.
One of the country's largest pizza companies is not opening because their delivery workers preferred to risk the sack by watching the final than work.
And famed violinist Andre Rieu has had to make a swift change of venue. He was due to give a concert in Maastricht's main square on Sunday but the two giant screens are going to be showing the final instead.
Elsewhere tens of thousands of Dutch supporters were expected to descend en masse later on Sunday to watch the match on Europe's biggest mobile giant screen (88 square metres) in front of the Rijksmuseum.
We can't all be winners, there has to be somebody to be second otherwise why have competitions,be gracious in defeat, I'm no sports fan,look at how far a small country like Holland came their achievment should be celebrated, after all the winning is good BUT ITS HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME THATS IMPORTANT:!!!!!!
Fans can do crazy things! Last night I watched the "Golden Girls" , you probably all know that sitcom. Rose the St. Olaf girl, founded an Elvis Presley fan club. At their first meeting as main attraction she presented the club with a memorabilia of Elvis, half a pork chop in a plastic container. Dorothy looked at it and said: "That must be a fake, Elvis would have never left that much of a pork chop", she was kicked out of the club for that remark, I laughed so much, I guess they teased the fans and their clubs, some really go over board, so also the foot ball fans, in Germany the same as on this continent the baseball and hockey fans, but NEVER André fans, haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
hahaha......I always heard the word "fan" came from "fanatics".
But really, the sports fans take it to the extreme, someone once said winning isn't everything, it's the only thing!
That sounds plausible!!!! Why else go into a competition????????????????
Fan---- fanatics, good one!
HI Shirley
what a shame they didn't win
I would love an email
hugs to you and Jeanineann