5,000 Dutch fans set to travel to World Cup next month

Despite criticism of sky-high ticket prices, inflated transport fares and intrusive border checks, some 5,000 Oranje supporters are expected to travel to the United States to cheer on their team at this summer’s World Cup.

The Dutch football association KNVB says 5,000 fans will be in the stadiums for the three group matches, all of them in American cities, while another 5,000 will swell their ranks for the “fan walk” to the stadium before each game.

The extra fans are likely to be Americans living in the host cities with Dutch roots. They will follow the KNVB’s traditional double-decker orange bus, which arrived in Texas last week at the end of a month-long sea journey.

All the Netherlands’ group games are in the US, starting with a tough tie against Japan in Dallas on June 14, followed by a trip to Houston to face Sweden on June 19 and a clash with Tunisia on June 26 in Kansas City.

The KNVB said it was in talks with world football’s governing body FIFA to try to cut the prices of tickets for the matches.

“We realise that a lot of Oranje fans can’t go because of the high costs,” head of professional football Marianne van Leeuwen said.

“Climate of fear”

FIFA, which has a monopoly on World Cup ticket sales, has defended the high prices, with the cheapest tickets for the final in New York going on sale for more than $4,000 (€3,500) each. Resale sites are advertising them for at least twice as much.

Some host regions have hiked public transport prices during the tournament, such as New Jersey, where a return train ticket to the MetLife Stadium will cost fans $150 (€130), 12 times the usual fare.

The Netherlands’ host cities have not raised prices, but fans who travel by car face having to pay $100 for parking.

Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have warned that fans, players and journalists covering the tournament face a “climate of fear” when they cross the US border.

Amnesty said supporters could be subjected to social media checks and questions about their family on entry, racial profiling and the presence of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on the streets.

But Kim van Wijk-Hermus, chair of the official supporters’ association, said: “As long as the KNVB says it’s safe, we’re heading over there,” she told NOS.

“I think it’ll be fine with the World Cup. It’s a shop window for America. They’ll do everything they can to take good care of the supporters.”