Throughout the year we call as journalists a lot. Sometimes it’s to check something, other times you want to talk to someone about their performance. At the end of October, the indoor football players of Hovocubo made it to the last sixteen of the Champions League and a day later we had a radio broadcast. The assignment was simple: call coach Sander van Dijk.
It is Sunday, October 31. The night before, Hovocubo placed himself beautifully in front of the Elite round of the Champions League. That’s what the futsal players from Hoorn in Bosnia and Herzegovina did. Calling abroad is normally no problem, so I contacted the press officer.
Stopover in Vienna
Hovocubo flew from Sarajevo to Vienna at 2:30 PM. There, the team had a stopover of about an hour before flying on to Amsterdam. That stop in the capital of Austria was the ideal opportunity to call Van Dijk.
Just before half past four I received a signal that I could call the coach. I tried twice, but both times Van Dijk didn’t answer. What turned out? He was stuck in a traffic jam at customs. Stress for him, because he threatened to miss his connection. And stress for me, because this was the only chance to speak to Van Dijk in time for the 6 p.m. radio broadcast.
“We had a little delay when we left”, Van Dijk looks back at that moment. “The stopover in Vienna was planned quite short. Instead of an hour, it became thirty minutes. That was quite stressful, we really had to run and fly.”
From the plane
It seemed impossible to speak to Van Dijk anymore. At a quarter past five I tried it for the last time. And suddenly he picked up. Van Dijk was already on the plane, but that was no problem for him. After all, he and his team had just put in a historic performance. This could also be added to the euphoria.
“In the beginning I felt a bit embarrassed. I had the feeling that I was calling at the checkout in the supermarket. But on the other hand: it is part of the profession of a trainer. In that case I have to tell you nicely. to speak to,” said Van Dijk.
All’s well that ends well: Van Dijk was home on time and I had the interview.