I remember World Cups in 1982 and 1986 when we weren't there and we'd support Belgium or Denmark, ... They had some players who played in Holland and they were a bit like the Dutch. |
In the United States, there's a strong taboo against racism; in England it's only happened in the past 15 years. In Spain and Eastern Europe, there is none of this revulsion among most people. There are few people of color, so a black player on the field is a new thing. In that sense, soccer is seen by racists as the vanguard of the world outside sweeping into town. |
It's partly due to the overload on modern players, ... All the Dutch are playing in the Champions League or in top European leagues. So it's last week Barcelona, this week Dublin, next week Milan. It's just not that exciting. |
People are enormously disappointed because if there's one country that really expected to be going and has a high opinion of its own qualities, it's Holland. |