Oranje to play in World Cup despite thousands of Dutch calling for U.S. boycott

Support for a boycott of the World Cup by the Dutch national team has surged. A petition by journalist Teun van de Keuken has attracted just over 66,000 signatures. The initiator says it is “unthinkable that our footballers would play in a tournament hosted by a president who threatens to invade and occupy his own ally, Greenland, thereby destroying NATO and endangering world peace.” Mexico and Canada will also host games at the tournament.

Oranje played all three of their group stage games in the U.S. Their first game against Japan on June 14 will be played in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The second game, which will be played against the winner of the playoffs in Europe, is at the NRG Stadium in Houston. The third and final group stage game is against Tunisia at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

The appeal is addressed to both the Dutch government and the Dutch Football Association, the KNVB. “We do not want our footballers, through their participation in the tournament, to implicitly lend support to the violent terror policies of President Donald Trump against innocent migrants,” the appeal also states.

Van de Keuken, who began the petition on Saturday, urged the Netherlands to take a principled stand, calling on the country to keep its players at home and ensure they remain on what he described as the right side of history.

Despite remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump asserting claims over Greenland, a Danish territory, the KNVB says it has no immediate plans to reconsider participation. It adds, however, that it is monitoring geopolitical developments and remains in close consultation with the Dutch government.

A KNVB spokesperson said the association is maintaining close contact with the Dutch government, embassies on the ground, and football authorities, including FIFA and UEFA. While the global situation remains volatile and developments are moving quickly, the spokesperson stressed that the KNVB is paying close attention.

In the lead-up to this summer’s World Cup, the KNVB says it is keeping a close watch on the situation surrounding Greenland and intends to align its approach with that of the Dutch government.

The Netherlands secured qualification for the World Cup in November. In announcing the qualification, the KNVB reiterated that it would adhere to the Dutch government’s guidelines.

ING, the team’s main sponsor, is declining to speculate about any potential boycott and says it will defer to the KNVB’s stance. A spokesperson said the bank is operating on the assumption that, under the current circumstances, the team will travel to the United States as planned.

Supportersclub Oranje says decisions about any boycott should be made by the relevant authorities. “They are better able to assess that than I am. We do not involve ourselves in politics,” Chairman Theo Pouw said.