A group of Dutch fans were soon accused of so-called “blackface” when they painted their faces and dressed like legend Ruud Gullit during the Netherlands' opening match against Poland. Pictures of the supporters spread around the world and were frowned upon by many.
Social media, in particular, witnessed a storm after the supporters’ stunt. Now one of the people involved has revealed that they were shocked by all the backlash that came and have chosen to ditch Ruud Gullit's uniforms in the future.
Gullit speaks
The main character herself, Gullit, also spoke about the supporters. The man who won European Championship gold in 1988 was not violated.
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“In fact, I feel proud,” he says, according to the Daily Mail.
This is not the first time Dutch fans have been seen wearing the uniform of one of their great heroes. One of those photographed during the Poland match wore the same 'kit' during Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2014. However, it has been ten years since he last wore this kit in a match.
– Maybe I made a mistake, or it's a gray area. “The last thing I want is to hurt others, so I decided I wouldn’t do this anymore,” Almoayyed tells German broadcaster RTL.
-I've received a lot of nice feedback too. But clearly there is a group of people who think otherwise. I have to respect that and listen. “The last thing I want is for people to have an unpleasant association with my behavior,” he says.
Controversial in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the issue of “blackface” is even more controversial because “Zwarte Piet” is a familiar character from the country's Christmas celebrations, which has been criticized as a racist throwback to colonial times.
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However, the Netherlands had a great start to the European Nations Cup when they lost to Poland in their first match in the group stage.
Cody Jaakpo Wout Weghorst scored the goals for the Orange team in the match against the Poles.
The Netherlands will also play against France and Austria in the group stage of the tournament in Germany.
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