Dutch are not right on time for arrival at Euro 2008

4 June 2008 03:16

The Netherlands football team players are welcomed by local autorities upon their arrival in Lausanne,on June 3, ahead of the Euro 2008 Football Championships co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland. The Netherlands plays in Group C with France, Italy and Romania.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) - The Dutch squad arrived for Euro 2008 in Geneva on Tuesday albeit rather later than planned after heavy traffic round Amsterdam delayed their departure.

Five of the 23 man squad - part of an overall delegation of 46 - were held up and forced the team to delay their plane.

The Dutch will feel more than a little at home once they arrive at their base of Lausanne, as they often have training camps there and were based there before the 2006 World Cup finals.

The Dutch - who are bidding to add to the 1988 European crown when the team included their present coach Marco van Basten - will undergo a training session on Wednesday morning followed by a short press conference.

The Dutch are in the 'Group of Death' - Group C - and open their campaign against world champions Italy in Berne on June 9, followed by World Cup finalists France on June 13 in Berne and round off their group matches against dark horses Romania also in Berne on June 17.