Football is bigger than America and watching it together in the cafe is just super fun, writes Hans Nijenhuis in this commentary.
Don’t let Donald Trump ruin your World Cup. With that message, Simon Kuper, the British-Dutch journalist who also sometimes writes for this site, will go to the theaters in the Netherlands next week. He previously made an impassioned plea The New York Times.
And he’s absolutely right. National coach Ronald Koeman announced his selection on Wednesday and it slowly begins to live. In some cities, streets are already completely orange, with kilometers of flags and completely wrapped houses. Nice, right?
But wait a minute: the World Cup isn’t fun at all this time, is it? The ticket prices are bizarrely high. Fans traveling to the US can rest assured that their old posts on Facebook and Instagram will be fully vetted.
Football fans from Iran, Haiti and Senegal – all three qualified – are not even allowed to enter the country
Fans from countries such as Cape Verde must pay a $15,000 depositbecause the US is afraid that otherwise they will not go back. Supporters from Latin America can easily be tackled to the ground by the infamous immigration police ICE. And enthusiasts from Iran, Haiti and Senegal – all three qualified – cannot even enter the country.
But America is bigger than Trump. And football is certainly bigger. National team matches give so many people pleasure. Just ask at home: the final rounds of the Champions League are of a higher level, fans can also enjoy them alone, but when the Dutch team plays, we all watch.
And yes, that is the case in all 48 participating countries. Especially in poorer countries where there is not much to enjoy in daily life.
The Netherlands is now struggling with rules and permits. The mayor of The Hague on Wednesday gave cafes permission to stay open longer during the Netherlands-Tunisia match – which starts at 1 a.m. But this only applies to cafes that already had a night permitso not for your regular café around the corner.
In Utrecht and Amsterdam, people are allowed to look inside, but not on the terrace. Things are different in other municipalities. That’s fine, the local government knows the situation best and decides best. But come on: it’s only a handful of matches! And you watch the World Cup together. Even with Trump.
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