Hanke Driessen from Den Bosch has been living in Argentina for 12 years. And although she is now madly in love with her new home country, she will ‘just’ sit in front of the big World Cup clash in an orange shirt on Friday. “These are tough days here for someone from the Netherlands.”
Blue White. That has been the street scene for weeks in Necochea, the Argentinian coastal town where Hanke left in 2010. For her great love Franco, with whom she had two daughters.
But next Friday at four o’clock in the afternoon local time, the tension will be cut in the normally cozy family. Then ‘our’ men will compete against Messi and co in Qatar, for a place in the semi-finals. “We just look at home,” laughs Hanke. “There are as few Argentines as possible there.”
“I put on an orange outfit during my last running training.”
Because it’s just a bit of a bite, as the only Dutch in the wide area. “Everyone is so fanatical here. Everything is decorated and even at my daughters’ gym class everyone wears blue and white shirts.”
Although she mainly sees the humor in it. “I’m in a running group. They always ask if I still have a little confidence in the race. And they think that after 12 years I should be for Argentina by now. That’s why I only put on an orange outfit at the last training session. A little tease.”
“If Depay shoots in the winning one? Of course I’ll cheer.”
But what about the confidence of the average Argentinian? “I don’t know if they are afraid of us. But there is certainly a lot of respect for the Dutch national team. And of course they lost the first group match against Saudi Arabia, so the fear is still a bit there.”
Hanke himself believes in a good outcome for Van Gaal’s team. “If Depay shoots the winner in the last minute? Of course I’ll cheer. They’re still talking about the 1978 final won here. Then this is finally revenge.”
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