No Dutch Cabinet members present at Oranje - USA World Cup match

The Netherlands will not send a Cabinet member to attend the World Cup match between Oranje and the United States in Qatar, sources close to the government told De Telegraaf and AD. Sports Minister Cony Helder did attend Oranje’s last group match against Qatar, and her representation there sparked criticism in the Netherlands.

According to the Telegraaf, the Dutch government was waiting to see whether the United States would send a high-ranking politician to Qatar. The Dutch government now thinks that will not happen.

If the Netherlands wins against the U.S. and goes to the quarterfinals, Prime Minister Mark Rutte will probably go to that match, sources said. If Oranje makes it to the semi-finals, King Willem-Alexander may be the government delegation.

The Dutch government sending a delegation to Qatar at all has been controversial in the Netherlands for months, given the human rights situation in the Gulf State. Minister Helder annoyed parliament on Tuesday when she broke off a debate to catch her flight to Qatar and then did not wear the OneLove armband even though a D66 parliamentarian handed her one at the debate.

Instead, she wore the OneLove pin, but it was hidden under an orange scarf with the text “Never Mind” while she attended the match. The Qatari Minister of Justice, who stood next to Helder, was wearing a pro-Palestine armband.

Helder called her choice of scarf “just clumsy,” speaking in parliament on Thursday. But she defended her choice to wear the OneLove pin instead of the armband. “I wore the pin because it's my normal way of promoting the OneLove campaign,” Helder said, according to the Telegraaf. “You can be assured that I have worn it very visibly throughout the complex, not just on the field. Also, around all encounters around the match. It has been noticed.”

Helder was not wearing the pin when she met with Qatari Ministers before the match, according to photos she herself posted on Twitter.

Helder said she’d worn the orange scarf often in the past but never noticed it had the text “Never Mind” on it. “When that became clear, I immediately took the scarf. It was just clumsy.”

SP parliamentarian Michiel van Nispen called it a “diplomatic blunder,” especially given the Qatari Minister’s pro-Palestine armband. “The visit to Qatar was, of course, under a magnifying glass,” Van Nispen said. “In hindsight, that’s a good thing. Otherwise, the minuscule statement by the Minister might not have even been noticed.”

Helder told NOS that she was not surprised by the Qatari Minister's pro-Palestine armband because it’s been a common occurrence at the World Cup. She did not consider switching to the OneLove armband when she saw it, she said. “No, it didn’t feel strange to wear the pin. That was the right expression, as far as I’m concerned,” Helder said to the broadcaster. “There's been a pretty strong response to the OneLove campaign in recent weeks.”

The OneLove campaign was created by the Dutch football association and the Dutch government in 2020 after racist epithets and taunts were shouted at Excelsior player Ahmad Mendes Moreira during a match against FC Den Bosch. After the Dutch men’s national team responded by speaking out against racism, the OneLove campaign was created. Initially, UEFA banned Oranje from wearing a OneLove shirt during a match against Spain, which led to the introduction of the captain’s armband featuring colors meant to represent a diversity of cultural heritage, gender, and sexuality.

Oranje and several other countries intended to wear the armband during World Cup matches in Qatar, but backed off when FIFA threatened to give their captains yellow cards.