h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Another reference about War vs. Sport comes from Rinus Michels. Michels was the national footballcoach for Holland in 1974(second at WC Football) and 1988(European Football Champion) :

"Football is war."

It is now a famous, almost legendary saying over here. And everybody interprets it his/her way.

Cheers TM. I knew the quote but couldn't find who said it. Trust it to be a dutch while taking on the might of the former occupiers.

Indeed, the Dutch did not beat the Germans though, that had to wait until 1988 but oh my, revenge was sweet. I still remember smoking a whole pack of tobacco and emptying a complete crate of beer(24 of them...). And that was only *during* the game...

There was also Ernst Happel(an Austrian who was also our national coach in 1988). In Dutch with his unimitable German accent and wordbending :

"Kein geloel, kewoon fussballen". (When some player would make trouble or wanted to go into the tactics of the next game : "No bulls***, just play ball".

In a terrible sort of language that made him legendary in Holland.

He'd do well in an old firm game then.

Well he got Holland through to the finals in 1978, without Cruyff... Not bad at all, although Cruyff wasn't the only brilliant player we had back then.

But yes, when Ernst Happel died(years after he had moved back to Austria) he was remembered in all the footballstadiums in Holland.