Dutch back on big stage after 56 years
It has taken 56 years, but the Dutch are back - much to the relief of Foppe de Haan, the man entrusted with guiding the Europeans in their hunt for the soccer gold medal.
The Olympic coach is surprised it has taken so long for such a powerful soccer nation to make it back into the Olympic arena. And he is eager to make up for lost time.
'The last time Holland was at the Olympics was at the 1952 Games in Helsinki. It seems hard to believe that a team like Holland hasn't reached the Olympics for so long. We are very glad to be back,' said de Haan, who guided his country to wins in the Uefa Under-21 Championship in 2006 and 2007.
De Haan, who arrived yesterday with his 18-strong squad for next week's ING Cup in Hong Kong, said a tough path into the Olympics and a lack of interest had played a part in the nation's past failures.
'Somehow, it hasn't been a high priority for Dutch football in the past to be in the Olympics.
'There was more focus on other sports like hockey and swimming. But all that has changed,' de Haan said.
'When I started as coach in 2004, one of the targets was to qualify for the Olympics and I'm proud to say we have made it through despite a tough European qualifying campaign with only four berths available.'
The Netherlands, Serbia, Belgium and Italy booked berths in the 16-team men's tournament.
Four Beijing-bound teams - Cameroon, Ivory Coast, the United States and the Netherlands - will play in a final warm-up on July 30 and August 2 at Hong Kong Stadium.
The Dutch will head to Beijing as one of the pre-tournament favourites alongside the likes of Brazil and defending champions Argentina.
De Haan believes the ING Cup will be an ideal preparation considering the limited time the squad have had to blend together, especially the three over-age players - Roy Makaay, Gerald Sibon and Kew Jaliens.
'We have been together for only a few days, so Hong Kong will be crucial for us to unite as a squad,' de Haan said.
'It is important to integrate the older players into our style of play and make sure they work well with the younger players.
'Makaay and company are very important as their knowledge and experience are invaluable.'
While the 33-year-old Makaay - who won the European Golden Boot during the 2002-03 season while at Spain's Deportivo La Coruna - fellow striker Sibon, 34, and defender Jaliens, 29, will form the nucleus of the team, de Haan's squad is packed with young stars.
They include Liverpool winger Ryan Babel, Valencia midfielder Hedwiges Maduro and Real Madrid's Rosyton Drenthe. But De Haan picks 20-year-old Jeremain Lens as a player to watch out.
Holland are drawn with Nigeria, Japan and the US in the Olympic group stage. As the US are in the same group, they will not play the Dutch in Hong Kong.
Long time coming
The last time that the Netherlands appeared in the Olympic soccer finals was: 1952
