A 2-1 Dutch victory over West Germany in the 1988 European Championships proved what many believed: the Germans were bad and the Dutch were good. Millions of Dutch citizens hit the streets to celebrate in the largest public gathering since the Liberation.
It would nice if the world was this black and white, but there are always gray areas. World War II was no different. The Dutch, once heralded as the great protector of Jews during the Holocaust, look very gray after reading Ajax, the Dutch, the War: The Strange Tale of Soccer During Europe’s Darkest Hour by Simon Kuper.
Kuper, one of the most prominent writers in the soccer business, tackles the difficult task of finding out the truth behind what the Dutch did and didn’t do in WWII and the role soccer may have played in the grand scheme of things. Kuper becomes historian, investigative journalist, and storyteller all wrapped into one.
The players, staff, and leadership of Ajax is obviously a focus of the book, but the entire country is examined. To start there are certain truths that are reaffirmed in this title. There was a resistance against the Nazis that took place in the Netherlands during the war, but its scope and impact may have been a bit exaggerated. There were good and bad amongst the Dutch people: those who resisted and those who protected the Jews and on the other side those who were collaborators and even worse those who betrayed.
Saying the Germans were bad and the Dutch were good still seems too simplistic. Things are a lot grayer than that. The Dutch are proud of their legends of resistance and protection, but they also have to live with the worst survival rate of Jews outside Poland, the tragic betrayal of Anne Frank, and the second-largest Nazi movement outside Germany.
The Germans deported the majority of the country’s Jews to concentration camps with the assistance of Dutch police and civil servants. Only an estimated 30,000 Dutch Jews survived. One-third of people who hid Jews didn’t even survive.
Were the Dutch bad people at heart? Of course not. But many didn’t believe the death camps actually existed at the time and many didn’t want to take a risk.
You can understand why people shied away from talking to Kuper about what happened during the Great War. Ajax historians said there was nothing interesting in their history when it came to the Jews and WWII. Sparta banned Jews from their club before the Germans even made it an official order. A “FORBIDDEN FOR JEWS” sign haunts the Rotterdam club even today.
Others wanted to speak their mind, sharing stories of courage and stories of tragedy. One that comes to mind is that of Eddy Hamel, an Ajax star that was described as “terrifically nice, a popular soccer player.” Hamel’s friend, Leon Greenman, was still haunted by Hamel’s death in a concentration camp, calling him a gentleman with a quiet voice.
It can be argued that the Dutch made some poor decisions, centered on gaining a sense of normalcy in war and later a selfish quest for their own survival. Their selfishness saw their neighbors and friends become victims as they tried to live their lives as if it were simply ordinary times.
Soccer wasn’t exempt from bad decisions and instead of being a beautiful game, our sport was just as tainted as the rest of society. Instead of rising above human tragedy, the game wallowed in a world where the innocent died and politics ruled the boardrooms and pitches of great clubs with great history. Our sport, our game should have been an example for others to follow, not something to be ashamed of.
Unfortunately, the Dutch have not learned fully from the lessons of history. Instead of embracing diversity, they have become increasingly intolerant in recent years. The pitch might be the best place to see tolerance in that country today as “total football” blends with a truly global game in a beautiful way.
Simply put this text is extremely powerful. You will hear stories that have never been heard and history that has never been told. You will learn about good times and bad, how soccer survived the darkest hours in world history, and how the Dutch used the beautiful game to make their mark on the world. It is impossible to truly understand Dutch soccer without first reading this book. If you liked David Winner’s Brilliant Orange, you will absolutely fall in love with Kuper’s Ajax, the Dutch, the War. It’s that good.
