Netherlands
Dutch Electronic Music Festival Leads to Over 1,000 COVID-19 Infections
Dutch electronic music festival Verknipt is under fire after being linked to over 1,000 coronavirus infections. The outdoor fest, which took place on July 3rd and 4th in Utrecht, attracted approximately 20,000 people over both days. According to CNBC, every attendee had to show a QR code that validated vaccination, a recent infection, or a negative test. However, Dutch officials were “shocked” to discover the number of new cases. “We cannot say that all these people were infected at the festival itself; it could also be possible that they’ve been infected while traveling to the festival or in the evening before going to the festival or having an after-party,” said Lennart van Trigt, a spokesman for the Utrecht health board. “So they’re...
“It was a tough choice” – former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star announces retirement
Arjen Robben has announced his retirement from football today. The former Netherlands international initially hung up his boots in 2019 before reversing the decision to return to his first club Groningen last season. Injuries and the coronavirus pandemic derailed the winger’s second stint. He has now announced his retirement with an emotional message on Twitter Beste voetbalvrienden, Ik heb besloten om te stoppen met mijn actieve voetbalcarrière. Een heel moeilijke keuze. Ik wil iedereen bedanken voor alle hartverwarmende steun! Groetjes, Arjen pic.twitter.com/aAEdxdL5tU — Arjen Robben (@ArjenRobben) July 15, 2021 “I have decided to end my active football career,” he wrote. “It was a tough choice. I want to thank everyone for their heart-warming support!” The club also issued a statement: ...
Major Music Festival Group Files Suit Against Dutch Government Over COVID-19 Restrictions
Amid an increasingly bitter battle between Dutch regulators and music festival organizers, one of the nation’s largest festival production entities ID&T is taking the government to court. ID&T is comprised of the brilliant minds behind Defqon.1, Mysteryland, Awakenings, and many more iconic festival brands. Time is of the essence and ID&T is hoping the suit will lead to immediate clarity from the government regarding what the path forward for large scale events will be. Despite the request, many major events—most notably Tomorrowland—have been forced to cancel last minute due to the mercurial nature of the government’s pandemic mandates. In Tomorrowland’s case, officials at the local level rejected their filing of an event permit despite nation...
Dutch FA opens talks with Louis van Gaal over return to national team
Louis van Gaal has moved a step closer to returning as Netherlands coach for a third time after meeting with Dutch football association officials to discuss the job, local media reported on Friday. The reports said the 69-year-old held talks at his home in Portugal on Thursday with KNVB directors Nico-Jan Hoogma and Eric Gudde, who are responsible for the choice of a new coach after Frank de Boer’s resignation. De Boer resigned after their Euro 2020 last-16 defeat to Czech Republic on June 27 and the KNVB said it would move swiftly to find a replacement, with the team set to resume their World Cup qualification campaign in September. Van Gaal, who officially retired in 2019 but stepped away from the game two years earlier after leaving Manchester United, had two previous spells at the helm...
Bundesliga forward bags again, Juventus man’s nightmare – Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic Player Ratings
Czech Republic pulled off a shock victory in the round of 16, knocking out Netherlands with a 2-0 win on Sunday. The Dutch began the game on the front foot, dominating possession in the middle of the park. They almost took the lead when Matthijs de Ligt’s back-post header missed the target, although replays showed that the Juventus man was offside anyway. Czech Republic worked their way back into the game, with Tomas Soucek glancing a header wide and Antonin Barak having a shot deflected over by De Ligt. The two sides went in goalless at the break, but it was an open half nonetheless. Early in the second half, Netherlands had a huge chance to take the lead. Donyell Malen skipped past two defenders and went through on goal but was tackled when he tried to round goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik....
Bundesliga forward bags again, Juventus man’s nightmare – Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic Player Ratings
Czech Republic pulled off a shock victory in the round of 16, knocking out Netherlands with a 2-0 win on Sunday. The Dutch began the game on the front foot, dominating possession in the middle of the park. They almost took the lead when Matthijs de Ligt’s back-post header missed the target, although replays showed that the Juventus man was offside anyway. Czech Republic worked their way back into the game, with Tomas Soucek glancing a header wide and Antonin Barak having a shot deflected over by De Ligt. The two sides went in goalless at the break, but it was an open half nonetheless. Early in the second half, Netherlands had a huge chance to take the lead. Donyell Malen skipped past two defenders and went through on goal but was tackled when he tried to round goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik....
Outgoing Liverpool star confirms he is ready to walk, sends important message
Day 14 at the European Championships was an opportunity to relax after the thrills and spills of the group stage. With no games scheduled, you could be forgiven for thinking that there would be no talking points. You’d be wrong. England’s Sheeran gig stinks ‘England’s preparations for Euro 2020 Germany clash begin with a surprise gig… by Ed Sheeran’. Well, isn’t that nice for them? Putting aside how utterly dismal Sheeran’s ‘music’ is for one moment, how exactly was this allowed to happen? How lovely England’s football team enjoyed a private Ed Sheeran concert. Meanwhile my brother who is also a musician hasn’t played for 15 months. This two-tier interpretation of the Covid rules is a farce. — Bella Wallersteiner (@BellaWallerstei) June 24, 2021 For starters, England’s players are supposed...
Manchester United man leads Euro 2020 Best XI while Ronaldo leads from the front
The Euro 2020 group stages have come to a close, and it’s just a short wait before the knockout rounds begin. The opening two weeks of action have been nothing short of enthralling. We’ve seen some incredible goals, great drama, and an inexplicable amount of own goals. What’s not to love? Here is our best XI from the group stage. Lukas Hradecky (GK) – Hradecky can count himself unlucky to be going home early, having put in some excellent performances in the last three games. He kicked off his tournament with a crucial penalty save in the 1-0 win over Denmark and followed this up with another good performance in the 1-0 defeat against Russia. His final game was impressive but ended in heartbreak. He made several brilliant stops to keep Belgium at bay but scored an unlucky own goal to s...
Netherlands Nightlife to Return to Full Capacity
This Saturday at exactly 12:01 AM, Netherlands nightclubs will be thumping as loud as ever before once the country moves into its fourth phase of reopening after the COVID-19 lockdowns brought the live music scene to a screeching halt. The country’s nightlife industry will now reopen at full capacity beginning June 26th. Initially planned for June 30th, the return will take place four days early after the Netherlands government made the decision to move ahead into phase four, following phase three just two weeks ago. That phase saw restaurants, cafes, and bars reopen for indoor service, and an increase on the limit of permitted house guests. Under phase four, “events where guests don’t have an assigned seat, will be allowed subject to 1.5-metre distancing or e...
1 from Portugal, 1 from France, 2 from Netherlands – Euro 2020 Best XI of Round 3
The group stage has come to an end, and now we have to endure two whole days without Euro 2020 action. How will we cope? At least the groups ended on a cracker, with several exceptional performances from the final round of fixtures. Here is our best XI from round three of Euro 2020. Lukas Hradecky (GK) – It feels a bit bizarre to include someone who scored an own goal, but here we are. Hradecky kept Finland in the game for as long as possible, producing several excellent stops to keep Belgium out before being cruelly robbed of his clean sheet. Nelson Semedo (RB) – The selection of right-backs from the latest round of fixtures was somewhat slim, but Nelson Semedo gets in for a solid performance. He got a lot of criticism for his performance against Germany, and many feared that it...
Euro 2020: Donyell Malen adds extra dimension to potent Dutch attack
The Netherlands had every reason to step down a couple of gears but instead upped their pace thanks to a fine display by speedy forward Donyell Malen in Monday’s 3-0 win over North Macedonia, advancing their claims to be genuine Euro 2020 contenders. Frank de Boer’s side had already qualified for the knockouts as group winners but whereas Italy’s Roberto Mancini made sweeping changes for his side’s 1-0 win over Wales, the Dutchman fielded his strongest team in their final Group C game. One of the two changes he did make was to bring in 22-year-old Malen in place of Wout Weghorst, making the Netherlands even more potent in attack as they became the top scorers in the tournament with eight goals. Malen, who provided an assist less than three minutes after coming on in the 2-0 win over Austri...
Depay, Wijnaldum and co look to keep perfect record in final Euro 2020 group game
The Netherlands will be looking to maintain their 100% win rate at Euro 2020 when they take on North Macedonia at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Monday. The hosts have already earned their place in the round of 16 and are now aiming to smash a couple of records. Meanwhile, the visitors have nothing but pride to play for after two consecutive defeats at the start of Euro 2020. Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming. North Macedonia Preview North Macedonia’s first-ever appearance at major tournaments is drawing to a close as they prepare to wave goodbye to Euro 2020 following back-to-back defeats to Austria and Ukraine in their opening Group C fixtures. Despite losing both group stage matches at the European Championship, the North Macedonians have not left a poor impres...
