Soccer - Dutch upside down ahead of European Championship semi-final - traffic jams at the border
At the day of the EM-Semifinal match between Netherlands and England, the small neighboring country is literally going crazy. In train stations and on the autobahns, many of the expected 80,000 Orange fans were making their way to Dortmund.
Since the German police controlled the border crossings, the fans had to be patient. The traffic on the A3 from Arnhem to Oberhausen jammed for a length of 13 kilometers in the front, as well as at the autobahn border crossings at Nijmegen and Venlo, where cars were often adorned with orange flags for several kilometers.
In the Netherlands itself, everything was focused on the Semifinal. Several supermarket chains wanted to close their stores earlier to give their staff the opportunity to watch the game. In any case, it was calculated that there would be few customers during the game. As the public broadcaster NOS reported, other shops like hardware stores went to minimal staffing to let as many fans watch the game as possible.
Theaters postponed performances due to the EM-Party and in many cinemas, fans could follow the duel with England. In Amsterdam, additional ferries in the city were deployed to accommodate the expected evening surge of supporters.
- Despite the excitement, Dutch fans traveling to Dortmund for the EM-Semifinal against England faced delays at the Northern German border due to strict border control by the police.
- The Oranje supporters were in high spirits, decorating their cars with orange flags as they navigated the congested A3 from Arnhem to Oberhausen.
- In anticipation of the Netherlands' Soccer match against England, several businesses in The Hague, like supermarkets and hardware stores, adjusted their operations, offering early closures or minimal staffing to allow employees to watch the game.
- With Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region hosting the semifinal, many Orange fans couldn't resist the opportunity to witness the match in Dortmund, much to the chagrin of local theaters that had to postpone performances due to the EM-Party.
- The effervescence of the Dutch crowd didn't just extend to the soccer stadium; many cinemas across the country, from the smallest towns to bustling metropolises, offered ample screens and sound systems to accommodate fans wishing to cheer on the Oranje against England.
