“It is remarkable that the match schedule is still being tinkered with so shortly before the tournament,” said the trainer. “It is beneficial for us that it is less warm in the stadium at the new time, because the sun has already set. But the other side of the medal – and I think that weighs heavily – is that our group mates Ecuador and Qatar have one day longer in the run-up to the second group match.”
The Orange squad will play its first World Cup match against Senegal on Monday, November 21 at 7 p.m. instead of 1 p.m. (Qatarese time). In the original World Cup match schedule, the meeting between host country Qatar and Ecuador was planned at this time. FIFA decided to bring this game forward one day, so that Qatar now officially opens the final round on Sunday, November 20 at 7 p.m.
Van Gaal thinks that the supporters in the Netherlands have few problems with the adjustment: “At five o’clock in the afternoon you can watch a football match just that little bit better than on Monday morning at 11 am.”
The shift also has consequences for Huis van Oranje, the large-scale fan event that the KNVB is organizing for those who stay at home on November 21 in AFAS Live in Amsterdam. The football association expects that this will not cause insurmountable problems for the time being.
