Dutch fans color World Cup orange
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-12 08:46 The Dutch fans have a reputation to keep up. Even at the Winter Games in
Turin in February, IOC president Jacques Rogge called them the best of the
games. There, too, the skating oval was a heaving sea of orange throughout the
two weeks.
The first time the Dutch truly came together like that was at the World Cup
in 1974. All their games, except the final in Munich, seemed to be played at
home stadiums where the national anthem gave many the thrill of a lifetime.
Only in the final against West Germany were they outnumbered by the locals,
and lost 2-1 in the cruelest of defeats.
"Don't even remind me of that," said Raymond Karremann, a former referee. "I
have been brought up on orange since I was in diapers. ... I only remember the
orange stands of 1974, and look around here, it feels the same."
This time he took his son Robert-Jan to the key game as a present, instilling
him with the same pride.
Again, it will be a lift for Van der Sar. He cannot even compare it with his
club Manchester United, which has one of the fiercest fan bases in the world.
"Oranje is a national thing. Man United a global thing, with so many things,
like marketing strategies and all," he said. "Everyone can be proud of their
country and wear orange with pride.
"It would be great that every time someone sees orange they think of the
Netherlands," Van der Sar added.
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