Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Joe Mewis

Netherlands preparations for England Euro 2024 semi-final hit by travel chaos

Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman.

The Netherlands saw their preparations for the Euro 2024 semi-final against England disrupted on Tuesday evening. 

Ronald Koeman’s side booked a last-four clash against the Three Lions by beating Turkey 2-1 on Saturday evening, with the two sides set to do battle in Dortmund on Wednesday night.

The winners will face the victors of Tuesday’s first semi-final which sees France take on Spain, but Koeman’s side have had to scramble in order to change their travel and press conference plans just 24 hours before the match. 

VIDEO Why Cody Gakpo's A Huge Problem For England

The Dutch squad were due to travel from their base in Wolfsbug to Dortmund on Tuesday afternoon by train, but a blockage on the track saw their scheduled train cancelled.

This meant the team had to charter a flight to Dortmund at the last minute, with their 155-mile flight believed to be taking off at around 8.20pm, just 24 hours before the match is due to be played. Their late arrival means a pre-match

That also meant that the Dutch had to cancel their pre-match press conference, where Koeman and a player were due to face the media at 7.45pm.

The Netherlands celebrate a goal against Turkey in their quarter-final (Image credit: Getty Images)

A statement from UEFA stated: “Due to the Netherlands' team travel to Dortmund having been disrupted, their arrival time has been significantly delayed and therefore no (matchday)-1 press conference will take place."

The Dutch FA also released a statement outlining the change of plan. “The Dutch team will not arrive in Dortmund until tonight, where the semi-final against England is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) evening,” it read.

"Players and staff were scheduled to travel from Wolfsburg to Dortmund by train this afternoon around 4pm. This train service has been cancelled due to a blockage on the route."

England boss Gareth Southgate was asked about the delay in his pre-match press conference but dismissed the notion that it would hand his team an advantage.

"We don’t play until 9pm tomorrow,” he said. “There’s plenty of time. I’m sure they’ll still get dinner."

Get a free live stream to watch Euro 2024 from anywhere in the world and catch the final stages of the summer's big tournament

More Euro 2024 stories

'If I was Cole Palmer or Eberechi Eze, I would be having a word with the manager' England legend calls for Foden and Bellingham to be dropped

Scary Harry Kane tactical revelation has England fans calling for change

'People get more nervous than me' Bukayo Saka reveals penalty mindset after England victory

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.