Amid the controversy surrounding the French squad and rumours of rifts inside the English team, Netherlands head coach Bert van Marwijk called for his team to maintain their momentum and spirit.

 

Previous Dutch squads have suffered from their own fair share of controversy and van Marwijk is aware that any issues between team-mates can undermine the good work done so far. “They do not necessarily have to be each other’s friend. They have to respect each other’s qualities” he said, “They need to be able to tell each other the truth.”

Van Marwijk went on to praise his captain Giovanni van Brockhorst who will retire after the tournament. “I’ve known Giovanni for a long time – he is a good captain – a quiet guy who has the respect of all the other players, and that is important.”