Netherlands hit by travel disruption ahead of Euro 2024 semifinal against England
Netherlands hit by travel disruption ahead of Euro 2024 semifinal against England
Wout Weghorst of the Netherlands, right, and Nathan Ake of the Netherlands celebrate after a quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Netherlands’ head coach Ronald Koeman watches his side play from the sidelines during the quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Wout Weghorst of the Netherlands, right, and Nathan Ake of the Netherlands celebrate after a quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Wout Weghorst of the Netherlands, right, and Nathan Ake of the Netherlands celebrate after a quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Netherlands’ head coach Ronald Koeman watches his side play from the sidelines during the quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Netherlands’ head coach Ronald Koeman watches his side play from the sidelines during the quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — The Netherlands’ preparations for its match against England in the European Championship semifinals were disrupted Tuesday when they had to rearrange travel plans to host city Dortmund because of a “blockage” on a train line.
The Dutch were due to get a train from Wolfsburg to Dortmund but the service was canceled, the team said.
The squad instead was having to fly around 300 kilometers (186 miles) to Dortmund, forcing the cancellation of the Netherlands’ planned pre-match news conference at Westfalenstadion with coach Ronald Koeman and defender Nathan Aké.
Dutch media reported that players and staff were on the train platform when they learnt about the issues with the service. Germany has been hit with very warm temperatures on Tuesday.
Members of the team typically take a walk on the field on the day before a game at Euro 2024.
England coach Gareth Southgate said he didn’t expect the Dutch to be too affected by the disruption.
“We don’t play until 9 p.m. tomorrow so there’s plenty of time,” Southgate said with a smile. “I’m sure they’ll still get dinner when they arrive.”
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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024