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Despite Netherlands win, van Dijk has bitter World Cup debut

The Reds defender is going through a difficult time as Netherlands captain

By Charles Cornwall

The Reds defender is going through a difficult time as Netherlands captain
The Reds defender is going through a difficult time as Netherlands captain
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On the second day of the World Cup, the controversy began even before the start of Group A and B matches, as expectant fans around the world corroborated FIFA's threats to stop England and other nations from wearing the "OneLove" captain's armband to matches, with social media criticising not only the various teams that declined to wear it but also the captains themselves.

After the negative criticism received by the captain of the England team for not wearing the different badge, the same situation arose a couple of hours later with the Dutch defender, Virgil van Dijk, who similarly was not seen wearing the badge, earning thousands of negative comments for not wanting to wear it for not receiving the sanction of a yellow card before the start of the match against Senegal.

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Despite the victory, Virgil van Dijk had a very bitter debut not in football but personally, because even the defender would have a hard time explaining to people the importance of the yellow card against him when he came out with the armband, because while it is true that trying to give a positive message to society worldwide has more weight than a simple caution, the reality is that this card could be very expensive on the field, as a dismissal or suspension against him would be very latent.

Even though Van Dijk is a very clean-cut player when it comes to playing football and almost never gets cautioned, let alone sent off, this act of solidarity and unity could put him at a disadvantage, as there are countless scenarios where the Dutchman will have to take a risk and have to opt for that warning, whereas if he plays with it from the start, perhaps his decision to stop the opposition will be questionable.

Virgil unable to wear the captain's armband

The accumulation of cards can also be crucial in this type of competition, and even more so if Louis van Gaal's team advances to the next phase of the knockout phase, with the tactician needing all his available resources in order to aspire to win his first World Cup, taking an important step in his debut by beating Senegal by a score of 2-0.

 


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