Netherlands suffer travel CHAOS ahead of semi-final against England

• England will face the Netherlands for a place in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final
• The Dutch were forced to cancel their press conference on Tuesday afternoon
• LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: Will England have a ‘lightbulb moment’ and stop muddling through? 

The Netherlands’ plans to face England have been hit by issues on Germany’s infamous train network – with Ronald Koeman and his squad left stranded on a station platform in stifling temperatures.

Ahead of their Euro 2024 semi-final on Wednesday in Dortmund, Dutch officials were forced to scramble for alternative arrangements when news filtered through that the Wolfsburg to Dortmund service they were waiting for had been cancelled thanks to a blockage on the line. 

Amid what have been described as ‘panicked scenes’ a bus was summoned and the group hastily left with a police escort.

Instead of arriving in Dortmund ahead of a 7.45pm press conference on Tuesday night at the stadium, an emergency flight was booked to depart at 8.20pm. 

That meant the Netherlands missed the opportunity for a warm-up and familiarisation session at Borussia Dortmund‘s stunning Signal Iduna Park. 

Instead of a late afternoon arrival they were due in at around 9pm, having taken the 200-mile journey by air.

Temperatures in Germany hit an uncomfortable 33 Celsius on Tuesday, although a drop is expected for Wednesday night’s 8pm kick-off.

UEFA have urged sides to avoid air travel whenever possible as they seek to make the tournament more eco-friendly. The delay also means that the group will miss a large part of Tuesday evening’s other semi-final between France and Spain.

The scheduled press conference was postponed, with a Zoom meeting set up instead.

Germany’s rail network has triggered frustration among fans and media, with delays and cancellation frustratingly commonplace.