At 4 am, a flare was lit when the Dutch national anthem was played in the EURO 2024 semi-final match in the working-class district of Batu Meja in Indonesian Ambon City.
While looking at the stretched cloth screen installed with bamboo and wood, they put hands on their chests.
Orange fever is prevalent on the Indonesian island of Ambon. Dutch footballers with Moluccan roots are not only a source of pride, but also a form of solace, in the absence of achievements by their own team.
In the "Taman Belanda" dozens of Dutch flags fluttered and a giant flag 40 meters long was unfurled. Senior supporter, David Marthen shows the KNVB tattoo on his left back. Meanwhile, the group leader, Angel Sahetapy, put up a large Dutch flag on the front wall of her house.
While drinking a shot of sopi, everyone's eyes were seriously watching the match between the Netherlands and England. They shouted, prayed, and even cried when they saw their proud team lose 2-1.
But, win or lose = no matter. The orange fans of Ambon are proud of 'their' Dutch national football team.
Some text translated from Dutch by Noël van Bemmel for de Volkskrant