Cruyff, Beckenbauer criticial of Dutch tactics
Source: Agencies |
July 14, 2010, Wednesday
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DUTCH legend Johan Cruyff has criticized the Netherlands for the aggressive tactics the team adopted during the World Cup final defeat to Spain.
In his column for the Barcelona-based daily El Periodico, Cruyff said coach Bert van Marwijk's side "didn't want the ball. And lamentably and sadly, they played very dirty."
The former Ajax and Barcelona player, who starred for the Netherlands in the 1970s, added that the Dutch "deserved to have been left with nine players early in the game because there were two tackles so ugly and tough they even hurt me."
The 63-year-old Cruyff was reacting to a Dutch performance in Sunday's 1-0 extra-time defeat that saw the team pick up eight bookings and a red card.
German great Franz Beckenbauer also said that the final turned into something of an "anti-advertisement" for football and was impressed by Germany.
Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the bad-tempered final when 14 yellow cards and one red were issued.
Beckenbauer wrote in yesterday's edition of German daily Bild that it should have been the World Cup's high point "but this final unfortunately was rather an anti-advertisement for football."
He said the match was "lacking flow, (with) constant protests from the players and a referee who didn't have too much of an overview."
Beckenbauer insisted that Germany's performance on its way to third place in the tournament offered the opposite of that, with "likable behavior and attractive play."
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of fans lined Amsterdam's web of canals yesterday to cheer the runner-up on an open-top boat tour of the waterways.
An hour before the team was due to arrive, two fans leapt into the murky waters of the Brouwersgracht canal cheered by hoards of orange-clad, flag-waving supporters, despite warnings from authorities that swimming in the canals could expose them to anything from E. coli bacteria to sunken bicycles and shopping carts.
"It's a bit much, considering we lost," said Loes Olden, who was sipping a glass of white wine at the water's edge at a table decked in an orange tarp, two ornate candle sticks and a bowl of oranges. "It's over the top, but we're enjoying it."
Houses along the canals were draped in flags and some had giant footballs hanging from their facades. Earlier, the team was honored by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende at the start of a hectic day of celebrations.
Under bunches of orange balloons, coach Bert van Marwijk and retiring captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst were given the honorary title of "Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau" at a reception in front of Balkenende's official Catshuis residence.
In his column for the Barcelona-based daily El Periodico, Cruyff said coach Bert van Marwijk's side "didn't want the ball. And lamentably and sadly, they played very dirty."
The former Ajax and Barcelona player, who starred for the Netherlands in the 1970s, added that the Dutch "deserved to have been left with nine players early in the game because there were two tackles so ugly and tough they even hurt me."
The 63-year-old Cruyff was reacting to a Dutch performance in Sunday's 1-0 extra-time defeat that saw the team pick up eight bookings and a red card.
German great Franz Beckenbauer also said that the final turned into something of an "anti-advertisement" for football and was impressed by Germany.
Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the bad-tempered final when 14 yellow cards and one red were issued.
Beckenbauer wrote in yesterday's edition of German daily Bild that it should have been the World Cup's high point "but this final unfortunately was rather an anti-advertisement for football."
He said the match was "lacking flow, (with) constant protests from the players and a referee who didn't have too much of an overview."
Beckenbauer insisted that Germany's performance on its way to third place in the tournament offered the opposite of that, with "likable behavior and attractive play."
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of fans lined Amsterdam's web of canals yesterday to cheer the runner-up on an open-top boat tour of the waterways.
An hour before the team was due to arrive, two fans leapt into the murky waters of the Brouwersgracht canal cheered by hoards of orange-clad, flag-waving supporters, despite warnings from authorities that swimming in the canals could expose them to anything from E. coli bacteria to sunken bicycles and shopping carts.
"It's a bit much, considering we lost," said Loes Olden, who was sipping a glass of white wine at the water's edge at a table decked in an orange tarp, two ornate candle sticks and a bowl of oranges. "It's over the top, but we're enjoying it."
Houses along the canals were draped in flags and some had giant footballs hanging from their facades. Earlier, the team was honored by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende at the start of a hectic day of celebrations.
Under bunches of orange balloons, coach Bert van Marwijk and retiring captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst were given the honorary title of "Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau" at a reception in front of Balkenende's official Catshuis residence.
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