Oranje Heartbreaks – UEFA Euro 1992.

Ever since I witnessed Holland win their first ever international title in 1988, being a fan of the Oranje has been nothing but heartbreaks and bitter disappointments. With the Oranje not being part of the 24 teams playing this summer in France for the European Championship, let’s revisit their previous disappointments in this tournament since 1988, starting with Euro 1992. 

The Lead-Up:

After their disappointing performance and early elimination from World Cup 1990 by eventual World Cup champions Germany, Leo Beenhakker was out as Oranje manager and Rinus Michels, the man who coached them to glory in 1988, was back at the helm. Holland qualified to defend their title in Sweden as European champions. They battled Portugal to win their group which also consisted of Greece, Finland and Malta with Marco van Basten leading the way with 8 goals. This tournament also saw Holland switch from Adidas to Lotto as their kit maker.

Sweden were the host for the 1992 edition. Back then, only eight teams qualified. Holland’s opponents in Group B were Scotland, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) who were the Soviet Union when they qualified but were going through their “Wind of Change”, and none other than the defending World Cup champions, and Holland’s arch enemy, Germany.

The core of the successful 1988 team was part of this 1992 team. We got to witness the fantastic trio of van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard together again along with the outstanding Ronald Koeman in the back and Hans van Breukelen in goal. This was also the tournament debut for the future stars of the Oranje such as Dennis Bergkamp, and Frank de Boer.

Holland kicked off their Group B with a 1-0 win over Scotland with Bergkamp scoring and introducing himself to the world. Holland then faced CIS and played to a scoreless draw. Holland ended the group stage with a memorable 3-1 win over Germany with Rijkaard and Rob Witschge giving the Oranje a 2-0 lead after 15 minutes before Jürgen Klinsmann scored one for the Germans in the second half. However, Bergkamp scored the insurance goal in the second half to ensure the Oranje finished as group leader while the Germans finished second.

Germany would meet host Sweden in the Semi-Finals and defeat them 3-2 to qualify for the final, while Oranje would face Denmark in the other Semi-Final. Denmark did not qualify for this tournament after finishing second to Yugoslavia in their qualifying group. However, Yugoslavia were suspended from the tournament just 10 days before it started because of UN sanctions stemming from the Yugoslav wars. Denmark’s players arrived from their vacation and finished second behind Sweden and ahead of France and England in their group.

The Heartbreak:

It did not matter if some thought Denmark did not belong; the Danes were now in the Semi-Finals and came to play. They were dangerous from the opening whistle as both sides exchanged dangerous counter attacks with van Breukelen coming to his team’s rescue while Peter Schmeichel faced a tame shot from Bryon Roy. Denmark surprised everyone when they scored in the 5th minute. Brian Laudrup got past Koeman and then whipped in a cross, over van Breukelen who couldn’t intercept the ball, for the unmarked Henrik Larsen who headed the ball into the goal and past the sprawling Bergkamp attempting a goal line block. Denmark could have added a quick second goal but Laudrup’s long range effort struck the side netting.

Both sides were dangerous on the counter attack and Bergkamp managed a superb dash to the goal, eluding a few players on his way before he was fouled. Koeman would take the free kick but would blast it a bit high over the bar. Holland though would equalize in the 23rd minute after Gullit headed down a cross inside the box for Bergkamp who would score a wonderful volley from right outside the box and past Schmeichel. Ten minutes later, Denmark would take the lead again after successive headers from Wim Vilfort and Laudrup was met by a Koeman header to deny a scoring chance. However, but the ball fell right to unmarked Larsen who scored his second of the match.

That goal gave the Danes a boost of confidence as they threatened Holland by exploiting the flanks with their speed while Laudrup was causing mayhem with the ball. Holland were in shock and the halftime whistle couldn’t come soon enough. Denmark were still the better side in the second half with the better chances early on but could not score the insurance goal. In the final twenty minutes, Holland chased for the equalizer with Gullit and substitute Wim Kieft both squandering good chances. Just when it looked bleak, Holland grabbed the equalizer four minutes from time.

Holland were awarded a corner kick after Bergkamp’s long range effort took a slight deflection. Rob Witschge’s ensuing corner kick was headed down by Gullit to van Basten, whose effort was blocked. Fortunately, the ball fell to Rijkaard who wasted no time in unleashing a powerful shot that went under Schmeichel, while John Jensen’s effort to block the shot, at the goal line, was futile as the ball ricocheted off his foot and into the goal. Just like old times, the magical trio were connecting once again for the Oranje.

Denmark though came close to winning it in the dying seconds after Holland got sloppy inside their own box following a throw in, but Lars Elstrup’s header was off the mark. A huge sigh of relief for the Oranje and extra time beckoned. Unlike the first ninety minutes, the Oranje were the better side in extra time but failed to score the game winner with Roy squandering two chances in the first half of extra time. In the second half, Gullit’s sliding effort to meet a van Basten cross and redirect the ball on goal was cleared, while Koeman’s trademark long range effort blazed over the bar. Holland’s final golden chance came courtesy of a van Basten cross but Gullit didn’t time his run properly for the chance to tap the ball in. For the first time in their history, a penalty shootout beckoned.

Holland would shoot first in the penalty shootout and Koeman converted from the spot as he made Schmeichel guess wrong by blasting it up into the middle of the goal. Larsen would take Denmark’s first kick and although van Breukelen guessed correct by diving to his left with his left hand making contact with the ball, he couldn’t deny the goal.

Marco van Basten was the second man in the shootout. The hero from 1988 struck the ball and Schmeichel guessed correct by diving to his left and denying van Basten. That penalty save was a sucker punch that I, and others, could not stomach. Denmark’s next penalty taker was Flemming Povlsen and van Breukelen attempted to get under his skin but the referee put an end to it. Povlsen struck the ball and van Breukelen knew exactly where the ball was going and managed to make contact with the ball. However, he failed to stop the shot. Holland’s best chance to make up for van Basten’s miss literally went through their goalkeeper’s fingers.

Bergkamp, Rijkaard and Witschge all converted from the spot. Sadly, so did Elstrup, Vilfort, and Kim Christofte who calmly slotted in the winning penalty. Once Christofte scored, he began to celebrate before Schmeichel and the other Denmark players joined in. For Holland, it was a bitter elimination from a tournament that was theirs to lose. Overall, this was entertaining showing by the Oranje with a memorable performance before their painful exit from their first ever penalty shootout.

The Aftermath:

Denmark continued to surprise everyone as they defeated Germany 2-0 in the final and were crowned champions of Europe. This would be the final time we would see Rinus Michels manage the Oranje or any other team for that matter. Michels stepped down as Holland’s manager and his assistant, Dick Advocaat, became his successor.

This would also be the final time we would see Koeman, van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard play together with Holland at an international tournament. Only Koeman and Rijkaard would feature two years later for Holland at the 1994 World Cup. Gullit fell out with Advocaat during the World Cup qualifiers and retired from the national team. Hans van Breukelen retired from the national team after this tournament while van Basten’s career for club and country ended after the 1992-1993 season because of injuries. Bergkamp would excel at the 1994 World Cup in place of van Basten and would become the recognizable forward of the Oranje for remainder of the decade.

Why Barcelona Continues To Sign Players From Traffic?

After Keirrison, Henrique, Douglas and Robert Gonçalves, the club would do well to avoid dealing with the Brazilian sports agency

The regimes of Joan Laporta, Sandro Rosell and Josep Bartomeu as Barça presidents differed in some aspects, but shared similar traits. They all saw the club win domestic titles along with European and International titles with superb players guiding the club during all three regimes. Unfortunately, these presidents also have the unique distinction of also signing certain Brazilian players, owned by Traffic, who have done nothing of significance for the club. This begs the question of why were these deals ever made and it would be nice if someone can ask president Bartomeu about this matter at the upcoming Ordinary General Assembly.

It is no secret that Laporta is at odds with Rosell and Bartomeu when it comes to way Barça is managed. Each regime’s ideology vastly differed with respect on which types of managers and players should be at Barcelona. However, they do share a common denomination when it comes to dubious transfers with a certain Brazilian sports event management company, Traffic, that have provided the club with players who hardly featured and proved to be useless.

Under Laporta, Barça signed Henrique and Keirrison. Under Rosell, Barça signed Douglas and the current president Bartomeu, Barça signed Robert Gonçalves for Barça B. Henrique and Keirrison never featured for Barça while Robert Gonçalves was released this week by the club after not appearing in a single league match for Barça B. Only Douglas remains, yet there are rumors that Barça are prepared to offload him this summer. This was money poorly spent on Traffic clients who were not useful or a part of the first team.

The first Brazilian, Henrique, was signed in the summer of 2008 during Pep Guardiola’s inaugural summer preseason. At the time, Henrique was a 21 year old centre back signed from Palmeiras. His signing cost the club €8 million plus €2 million in bonuses. The only time Barça fans saw Henrique in a Blaugrana kit was during preseason training and friendlies. After signing with Barça, he was loaned to Bayer Leverkusen for one season, and then went on loan again, this time to Racing Santander for two seasons, before returning to Palmeiras also on loan. On June 1, 2012, Barça terminated their contract with Henrique.

The second Brazilian, Keirrison, or K9 as he was once nicknamed, was signed in the summer of 2009. At the time, Keirrison was a 20 year old striker who also was a member of Palmeiras. His signing cost the club €14 million plus €2 million in bonuses. Just like Henrique, he would never feature under Guardiola who clearly said “the club has decided to sign him but in principle he’ll go out on loan. I won’t be counting on him for this season”. Ultimately, not one single Barça manager counted on him for any season. K9 was loaned out to Benfica, Fiorentina, Santos, Cruzeiro, and Curitiba before his deal ended in the summer of 2014. He is now playing in Brazil’s second division.

Henrique and Keirrison have a lot in common. Both joined Barça from Palmeiras. Both are related to each other, Keirrison is married to Henrique’s sister. Finally, both have their rights owned by Traffic. Desportivo Brasil Participações Ltda was paid €2 million for Henrique’s transfer to Barcelona. Just who is Desportivo Brasil? Desportivo Brasil, founded on November 19th of 2005, is part of a strategy of the Traffic Group comprising two independent projects with focus in the area of football, which can also work together, supposedly providing great synergy. Basically, Traffic created Desportivo Brasil which will be discussed further ahead. When Barça signed K9, Traffic Sports Marketing owned 80% of the player’s rights. In the end, neither player signed by Laporta did anything for the Barça except cost the club €24 million in transfer fees.

One would assume that Rosell and Bartomeu, who considered themselves to be different, and better than Laporta, would avoid making these types of deals at all costs. Think again! This regime was delighted to entertain us Barça fans with the signing of Douglas back in the summer of 2014. At the time, Douglas was a 24 year old fullback from São Paulo and his signing cost the club €4 million plus €1.5 million in bonuses. What was surprising was that not many knew of Douglas and those who did know of him, did not rate him highly. What was further surprising was that Traffic owned 40% of the player’s rights. Unlike Henrique and K9, Douglas became a member of the first team and has featured for the club, albeit sparingly. His future is uncertain but as of today, he is still a Barça player and continues to be the favorite punchline for the Blaugrana faithful.

It is mind boggling to understand why Rosell would sign Douglas and why Bartomeu would also go after another Traffic player. I guess the old saying of “third time’s a charm” following the Douglas signing did not apply when the club green lit the loan signing of Robert Gonçalves for Barça B back in January. The 20 year forward was picked up on loan from Fluminense for the second half of Barça B’s season. Yet again, the club signed someone who Traffic owned a percentage of his rights since he was 12. Robert was a disaster, arrivingoverweight, unfit and only played 30 minutes against Sabadell in the Copa Catalunya. His loan was terminated on Tuesday and is yet another chapter of the suspicious relationship between Barça and Traffic Sports.

So who are Traffic exactly? In 1980, Jose Hawilla bought Traffic and made it into Brazil’s biggest diversified sports marketing group. He transformed it from a company that sold advertising for bus stops to one that secured contracts for marketing of the TV rights and sponsorship for Copa America, and for marketing Brazil’s national team. In 2005, Hawilla was behind the creation of Desportivo Brasil, a football club with the objective to train and prepare young football talents to play for clubs in Brazil and around the world. Of course, with every transfer, Traffic had a percentage of the transfer fee since they own a percentage of the players’ rights.

Now, one would ask why would Barça, yet again, deal with Traffic after the first three dubious signings. Better yet, why would they still be interested in Traffic players after Jose Hawilla pleaded guilty on 12 December 2014 to corruption charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering? Instead of distancing themselves from a suspect organization, the club sees no problem in doing business with them.

So it would be nice if, at the club’s next Barça Ordinary General Assembly, someone can ask club president Bartomeu why does the club continue to deal with Traffic players? It has never been prolific for the club on the pitch nor has it been a boost financially. Please Barça, cease and desist from signing Traffic owned players.