July 09, (THEWILL) – The Dutch national football team faced unexpected travel issues on Tuesday, as they prepared to journey to Dortmund for their Euro 2024 semi-final match against England. Originally planning to travel by train from their base in Wolfsburg, the team was forced to change their plans due to a blockage on the rail route.
The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), announced that the team would now fly to Dortmund later on Tuesday evening. This change in plans resulted in the cancellation of the pre-match press conference with coach Ronald Koeman. Instead, UEFA will distribute an interview with Koeman about the upcoming game.
Despite the travel setback, the Dutch team had already completed their match preparations in Wolfsburg earlier on Tuesday. They opted not to hold a training session at the Dortmund stadium, a choice that is within their rights as teams are not required to train at the venue on the eve of the match.
England’s manager Gareth Southgate downplayed the potential impact of the travel disruption on the Dutch team. He stated: “I don’t see that having any impact on the game. We don’t play till nine o’clock tomorrow, so there’s plenty of time.”
This incident highlights ongoing criticisms of the German rail system during Euro 2024, with delays and disruptions affecting team travel. The Netherlands had previously experienced issues when they had to fly back to Wolfsburg after their group stage match in Berlin due to limited train services.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
