Berne turns Orange to support van Basten´s men

Bern was awash with Dutch fans on Friday ahead of Holland’s Group C clash with France at the Stade de Suisse.

Some 30,000 Oranje supporters had descended on the Swiss capital city for Monday’s 3-0 drubbing of world champions Italy, and double that number were expected for the French game.

With so many Dutch visitors in town UEFA arranged with the city authorities to set up a third giant screen to watch the action from the local stadium, beer and bratwurst at arm’s length.

Berne’s mayor, Alexander Tschappat, said the influx of visitors from the Netherlands had taken them by surprise.

“It’s exceeded our expectations,” he said.

One fan from Amsterdam told euro2008.com: “The national team represents an attitude towards life. We all stick together and are a massive band of the young and old.”

If Marco van Basten’s side beat France they will book their ticket to the quarter-finals, while France need to win to keep their last eight hopes alive.