You better support Germany

Oh? I had no idea. Oftentimes the German team is very strong. I do remember the national joy when we beat them in the mid 80's.
As I said, playing Germany is always charged, always more than just a game.

We had an awesome team in '88 with Koeman and Ruud Gullit. We did really well in those days!
Dutch football went down the drain for quite a long time after that as far as I know.

But in '88 the street were empty and all was quiet when we played. Everyone in front of the telly. Every goal we made you could hear the entire city cheer, haha. It was brill!
And people took to the streets after we'd won, driving round in orange shirts etc., cheering and honking while driving.
I think that was the time of these god awful vuvuzelas as well?

I remember I had to go somewhere by bus during a match and I had to leave right before the end. I was narked but had no choice but go to the bus stop.
You could hear a pin drop, no one outdoors but me.
Then right before the bus arrived you heard this wave of cheering and I knew we'd won :)

As for the rest, I don't know if we'd ever get along. To be honest, and truly nothing personal, just observation, I don't think I've ever come across anyone who likes Germans.
Not here, but not abroad either.
Germans are so different from us Dutch. And not so say the Dutch are nice folk. In general I'm not impressed with how the Dutch are.
But I think the German attitude and how they treat other people (non Germans) goes back hundreds of years.
I'm not quite sure what exactly makes them so different compared to other Europeans. But in a way I'm inclined to say they're the toughest MFs on the planet.
I mean, even the Romans failed to conquer them.
But that attitude is what they still exude. Entitlement & arrogance. They generally make you feel they're superior. Even when they don't want to. It even shows in how they drive, go through the supermarkets with their trolleys etc.
It's just in your DNA or something.
And why we don't have it I don't know. After all the Dutch have Germanic roots, certainly the northern half.
I have truly often wondered why you are so different. Researched it online even. I have yet to find the answer to be honest.

In any case, to get back to football... (sorry bout the history waffle, I can get carried away as I find that stuff so interesting!)...

Happy the Dutch team did so well last night! I rarely watch football so it was a treat that the match was good!

I found your read very interesting Crystal... Because South Africa has a strong connection with the Dutch via Jan van Riebeeck (Dutch explorer and considered the founding father of Afrikaaners), there is always a great deal of support for the Dutch at the World Cup. One of my cousin's has always supported Netherlands. And, when they were in the finals in 2010 as the host nation for the World Cup, many South Africans felt compelled to support the Dutch because of the history and the legacy.

Ethnically speaking the Afrikaans People are mainly Dutch, right? Or do they consider themselves to be a separated group?

Merry, wow, I never thought of that! Sure nice to hear :)
I once came across a small group of Afrikaner friends at work in Australia. I spent quite some time talking to them about the language, SA etc. I had a good time, great people!

I might just have an answer on the question, why us Germans are so different. Just have a look on demography. Germany is a big country with many "tribes" that don't like each other. There is affluent areas like Frankfurt or Munich with loads of snobbish people. Those from Berlin are quite arrogant, because it's our capitol city. Then you find more easy going people in the North, the Rhineland or the Ruhr valley. And then there is the East Germans. Loads of them voting for the fascist AfD. I admit, these are stereotypes, but most of them seem to be true.

You are correct that Afrikaaners are of Dutch heritage. There are a group who are mixed race like me, known as "Cape Malay" under the Apartheid government. Malaysians were shipped to the Cape as slaves back in the day, so under those circumstances the Malay people adopted the Afrikaaner language and it's customs. But, the use of the term "Afrikaaner" is a specific reference to African people of Dutch heritage.

That's awesome, Crystal! So, great to hear.

So that means you aren't referred to as "Afrikaaner"?
Now if I may ask, aren't there lingering ill feelings towards the white people in SA because of the history?
After all it's not that long ago.
My dad went to SA in the 70s by himself to see if he could find work there after which we'd likely emigrate.
He was shocked by how the non-Caucasians were treated!
So only 55 years ago the situation was bad. And I cannot recall exactly when this apartheid shizzel ended, I think in the 90s?
Meaning only 35 years ago.
When looking at the US and how difficult things still are there between black & white... it takes a long time for things to change. As in really change.
Now I don't know if there's a difference in this between Malay and African people.
But just wondering to what extent things have truly become (more) equal?

LARSI, thank you for that feedback!
Makes a lot of sense. We have similar things here too. Certain areas are looked down upon, mostly the south, farm area. Also difference in religion: The south was conquered by both the Spanish and later on the French and hence it's catholic.
Above the rivers like the Rhine people generally speaking are reformed. They weren't conquered by the Spanish & nor the French.

My son told me most German tourists that come here are from NRW.

Correct, I'm not referred to as "Afrikaaner".
Actually, I have a different classification to "Cape Malay". The old regime had about 6 variants of racial identification between white and black that is for mixed race and brown people. Many people still use these identifications whilst others don't care for it. My own mother and I share different classifications even though, she too is of mixed race. It was a messy and complex situation. The objective was to "divide and conquer" under the old system. So, for example Elon Musk has stated that he is not Afrikaaner as he is of British descent (and, not Dutch).

Yes, your feelings are definitely correct in terms of lingering feelings of animosity.
Our democracy is the same age as Justin Bieber (1994). Actually, Justin Bieber is a couple months older, so it's still new and there are definitely high levels of animosity towards "the white man" especially 'the Boer' (Afrikaaner farmers), a situation, which Donald Trump has capitalised on on recent years.
Nelson Mandela tried desperately to ensure that it was a peaceful transition into democracy, but the feelings haven't disappeared... I think the feelings will be around for a long time.

Currently (beyond the internal issues), there are terrible xenophobic attacks happening against African foreign nationals in the country...
It is a situation I could only describe as "hurt people, hurt". It's equivalent to what's happening in the US with the force removals by ICE, but it's not happening to European foreign nationals, only Africans. So, whilst the internal racial war has simmered the xenophobic one is raging.

Our history and current status cannot be painted with one colour, but I believe that if you don't know your history - you're bound to repeat it.

The World Cup is a gentle escapism for most people in the country right now.

Leo Messi is the ultimate Football GOD
I'm glad I was born in Messi's era

Thank you for that feedback, Merry!
I read up on the situation just now. Scary and stressful. I was shocked, didn't know any of that as I stopped following the news 11 years ago.
And learnt through the years that when there's something of importance I always find out regardless.
But truly scary what's going on. At the same time very understandable. Illegals pose a huge problem everywhere.
Stay safe!!

Yay! Dutch team won again!!
I didn't watch the match as it was played in the middle of the night. But still good news that we beat Tunisia with 3-1 :D

Hey ....in case no one noticed.... Canada made it thru to the next round , and play Morroco on Saturday.....will this be as far as they will go.....

Too sad Netherlands and Germany lost on penalties !!!

Thanks for telling me that ....now you owe me money , as they lost and I lost my bet !!!

Indeed sad we're out :( Certainly on penalties. I never like that however thrilling it may be to watch.

Good you're still in the game!
If the match is at a doable time for me I may watch it :)
Personally I don't see why you wouldn't/couldn't win from Morocco.
Everyone was yapping how much better and stronger their team was compared to the Dutch. And yet they couldn't win by making it 2-1, had to rely on penalties for that. (I always regard penalties a bit as pot luck, hihi)
Then me's thinking, "Not so much stronger then, huh?!"