JUST FOR FUN

Oranje had their first training session on South African soil with hundreds of spectators. Not fans. Journalists. Members of the media. The players and our coach were confronted with reporters from dozens of countries. At least 200 reporters were waiting their turn for a soundbite. Rafael van der Vaart spoke to representatives from Costa Rica, Honduras, Spain, Germany and Japan in five minutes. “Spanish, German, English…I’m going crazy. Thanks for allowing me to talk some Dutch again,” he laughed.



Robin van Persie is not just popular in England. Reps from China, Australia and Brazil were queuing up to talk to the Gunner while Sneijder was ambushed by a bus-load of Italian media people.

Supporters weren’t welcome yet. The doors of the Wits University will open up on Wednesday. The first public training of Brazil pulled 10.000 enthusiastic South Africans of their couches.

Oranje’s training was a new start. The World Cup is tangible now and the problems regarding Robben’s injury are laughed away with typical football humor. Skipper Van Bronckhorst: “The news that Arjen might be coming here next week already was really a big relief to all of us.”

On the training, it seemed that Dirk Kuyt was the token victim. The winger was nutmegged thrice in a row. Rafael van der Vaart was howling with laughter when he successfully nutmegged the former Feyenoord star. Nigel de Jong had a different trick on his sleeve. Whenever an opponent came to close, he’d pull down their shorts

Oranje trained casually on the immaculate pitch of Wits University. There were some positioning games and two mega-rondos, between the presumed starters and the reserves (with Ibrahim Afellay).



The Fab Four
Gio: “The vibe was good and we had some laughs. I think that’s a reaction to the scare we all had after Hungary. We played well in that match and it should have been a farewell party with the fans, but Robben’s injury really depressed us all. So, with the latest news, I think everybody lets their guard down. This is such a tight group, it’s really cool to have Arjen with us as soon as possible.”

The starters left the pitch after an hour. The benchwarmers did another aggressive game before they went inside. Only seven days till Denmark!

Rafael van der Vaart is highly optimistic about Robben’s return. “I have tremendous experience with Van Toorn,” the creative midfielder quipped right after Oranje’s first training.

“I had a similar little tear in my hamstring and Dick had me running in five days. I wouldn’t be surprised if Arjen is ready to play Denmark, really. Maybe the coach won’t use him so early, but it’s possible.”

Van der Vaart: “Dick has a huge gym in his home. He let’s you do all these exercices with weights. And he uses acupuncture too. I’m not sure what he does, but he does it. If Van Toorn treats you, you’ll be fit in no time. And Arjen knows it. He’s been to Dick before, on my suggestion even. And he was fit pretty quickly then too. That was in 2008 with Madrid. I heard Arjen will be here on Friday or Saturday already!”.

“And it would be good for the group too,” Van der Vaart continues. “We were really down after Hungary. Robben is extremely important for us. He is the guy that can change the game around in a second. So I’m really keeping my fingers crossed for Van Toorn’s treatment.”

Robben didn’t want to comment on the day he’d fly south. “It’s too hard to look into the future right now,” he said.

Rafael was positive, vice-skipper Mark van Bommel spoke like a true coach after the first training session: “Everybody is so jubilant about our chances, but we shouldn’t forget that we are in a tough group. We really need to be good to progress.”

The Bayern skipper opposed the opinion that Oranje is a title contender. “Listen, we won against Japan earlier on, but we could have lost that game. We weren’t top and they were. If that happens again, and Japan wins we are in trouble. Denmark had a tough qualifications group and they made it. That tells you something. And Cameroon is a tough customer to beat. It won’t be easy for us. But if we make it through, anything is possible. But that applies to 12 other nations as well. I keep hearing people say that Spain and Brazil are the top favorites. Fine. Let’s keep that story alive. I don’t mind.

Oranje did win the three warm up games easily. “That’s good for the vibe in the group, but they’re warm up games. They don’t count in the World Cup. And it most certainly isn’t a guarantee. It could even make you complacent and that’s when you get the lid on the nose!”