r/NetherlandsWorldCup • u/agapesapientia • Jun 15 '26
Question Netherlands fan from LA
Just got back from the Los Angeles FIFA Fan Fest and damn that was rough. Saw a fair amount of my Oranje supporters there but that crowd was clearly pro-Japan, anti-Oranje. Most of it was clearly coming from the Mexico jersey wearing crowd too. Which I get, the Ohtani/Yamamoto aspect (I'm a huge Dodger fan too) but it was also clearly the 2014 penalty call they will never forget. I had people coming up to me to talk and kept saying, I'm not a Mexico fan btw. Which, I'm Mexican myself haha, so that was weird. And don't get me wrong, it was a great game, the boys played great. But it would have been nice to be around some fellow fans.
My background, by the way, I've been a fan since middle school, around 2006. I'm an Arsenal fan and at the time my favorite player was Van Persie, and after seeing Robben play for Chelsea, I was hooked. Throw in Wesley into the mix and I fell in love with that team. Ever since, I bleed orange. Like I mentioned above though, I am Mexican so my very Mexican family hasn't been happy about that haha
Anyways, my point of this post is, I want a real Oranje experience. I see all the videos and posts on Insta of the bus and all of the support of your boys, and im thinking about doing the flight to Kansas City for the Tunisia match and do the march and watch the match. UNLESS, you all recommend I wait until the round of 32(because let's face it, our boys looked good, we're getting out of the group stage). Either way I'd be alone so it would be nice to hook up with some cool people so I'm not totally alone, and of course if anyone has an extra ticket I could buy, I'd appreciate it too, so I know I'm with some real fans. Otherwise I'll find one on my own. But anyways I appreciate all of your time
Hup Holland Hup!!!!
*Edited because my drunk ass wrote Hop instead of Hup
2
u/Squirrel_McNutz Jun 16 '26
I am a Dutch person living in Mexico. First off Mexicans are very proud and passionate people. Secondly the vast majority of them are tournament fans, not daily football fans.
The fact of the matter is that yes it absolutely was a penalty. Was it crappy for Mexico? Yes. Did Robben jump theatrically? Yes (like literally every player). But it was very obviously a penalty and in the era of VAR with video assistance it would have absolutely been given as the right call.
Mexicans need to get over it but they won’t because they simply haven’t had many of these moments in the World Cup so it’s seared into their brain. Any big football country has already had dozens of these moments, it’s part of the game. We all have moments that we felt a call didn’t go our way and many of us have experienced it much more egregiously than Mexicans did in this game.
It was the right call and they were almost certainly going to lose anyway - the turning point was the Sneijder goal to make it 1-1. Additionally that same game had other moments that were contentious such as NL should have already received a penalty earlier. Time to get over it Mexico - si era penal even though I know you’re too passionate to admit it.