Netherlands suffer travel CHAOS ahead of crucial semi-final against England – with Ronald Koeman’s squad left stranded on a train station platform and requiring a police escort to airport for emergency flight
- England will face the Netherlands on Sunday for a place in the final of Euro 2024
- The Dutch had to cancel their press conference on Tuesday afternoon
- Listen to It’s all about to begin! EUROS DAILY: Will there be a ‘eureka moment’ in England and will it stop muddling through?
The Netherlands’ plans to play England have been hampered by problems with Germany’s notorious train network, with Ronald Koeman and his team stranded on a platform in the stifling temperatures.
Ahead of the Euro 2024 semi-final in Dortmund on Wednesday, Dutch officials were forced to find alternative arrangements after it was revealed that the Wolfsburg-Dortmund route they had been waiting for had been cancelled due to a blockage on the line.
During what were described as ‘panic scenes’ a bus was called and the group hurriedly left under police escort.
Instead of arriving in Dortmund at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday evening, an emergency flight was booked that would depart at 8:20 p.m.
As a result, the Netherlands missed the opportunity to warm up and get used to football in Borussia Dortmund’s beautiful Signal Iduna Park.
The Netherlands’ preparations for Wednesday’s semi-final have been thrown into chaos
Ronald Koeman’s team will play against England in Dortmund for a place in the final of the 2024 European Championship
Due to a blockade on the railway, the Dutch have to fly to Dortmund instead of taking the train
Instead of late afternoon, they were scheduled to arrive around 9 p.m., having made the 200-mile (320-kilometer) journey by plane.
Temperatures in Germany reached an uncomfortable 33 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, although a drop is expected for Wednesday evening’s 8pm kick-off.
UEFA has urged the sides to avoid air travel as much as possible as it seeks to make the tournament more environmentally friendly. The delay also means the group will miss much of Tuesday night’s other semi-final between France and Spain.
The planned press conference was postponed and a Zoom meeting was scheduled instead.
The German rail network is causing frustration among fans and media, with delays and cancellations unfortunately common.