The Final

Back in Leiden I could not have chosen a better country then the Netherlands to see the final on Sunday against Spain. As the stadium visit of the final is a very exclusive happening with little chance to get tickets without good connections (not to forget about money after 4 weeks world cup visit) it is best to watch it with people in the country that I predicted to reach the final against Germany. Well, Germany did not make it to the final, so now all hope is on the Dutch team to break through the well passing spanish midfield and score enough goals to win the World Cup for the first time.

The last week in South Africa I spent in Cape Town, where I expected to meet a lot of Dutch Fans to support their team in the semi-final against Uruguay. And while almost the whole stadium was behind Oranje and many wearing Orange to support Robben, Sneijder and Co, there were a lot of South Africans and International Fans that supported the Dutch. The athmosphere in the stadium then was not really exciting. Even the Vuvuzelas were quite quiet that evening, only when a team made a good effort to the goal they were blown loudly. Maybe it was because of the boring match during the first half, but maybe also because in a world cup semi-final there are not many 'real' fans due to the high ticket prices.

The world cup feeling in Cape Town reminded me back to Germany in 2006, where people where celebrating on the streets after the matches. The stadium in Greenpoint is maybe not a sustainable investment, as the local club supporters live in the more poorer parts of the city. But for the world cup the nearby bars and restaurants along the streets with music outside where good for fans to celebrate the Dutch victory after the match. Soccer City in Johannesburg might be the more impressive stadium, but as it is outside the city in the middle of nowhere coming there and leaving it is not as easy as it is in Cape Town.

Looking forward to the final on sunday the only thing I can say is good luck to Oranje to take the Cup home for the first time!