Dutch preparations please De Boer

Tournament ambassador Frank de Boer was a special guest at the Dutch training camp on Thursday and admitted he was impressed by the "excellent atmosphere in the group".

Interested observer
De Boer was invited along by De Haan's assistant coach Remy Reynierse after the two studied together for their professional coaching license, and the former international was impressed with what he saw. "There is an excellent atmosphere in the group," said the former international. "That is very important because they have to deal with each other for a few weeks."

Practical joke
Having joined the players in the morning, De Boer showed that he could take a joke after his breakfast was interrupted by the voice of Edwin Evers, an impressionist famous for his imitation of the former FC Barcelona and AFC Ajax defender. It turned out that one of the players was playing a recording of Evers through his mobile phone. "That was pretty funny," said De Boer. "Usually players get fined for leaving their phones turned on!"

Bicycle ride
De Boer joined the squad on a bicycle ride through the Friesland countryside before watching their closed training session in the afternoon. He hoped the team would be able to reach the last four and seal a place at the Beijing Olympics. "That would be great," he said. "The Jong Oranje are capable of reaching the semi-finals and qualifying but everyone has to be at their best."

Major regret
The veteran said that missing out on the chance to compete at the 1992 Olympics had been one of the great regrets of his career. He added: "If they work together then almost nothing can go wrong. With home advantage, qualification for the Olympics is certainly possible. Hopefully, once they have done that there will be a dessert in the form of a European title."