Heerenveen hails hero De Haan

Having "only slept for two hours" after celebrating a successful defence of their UEFA European Under-21 Championship title into the early hours, Foppe de Haan and his Netherlands squad were treated to a heroes' welcome as they took to the stage at the Burgemeester Kuperusplein in Heerenveen on Sunday afternoon.

King Foppe
Already revered by locals for years of devoted service as coach of SC Heerenveen, De Haan was unofficially received as the king of the Netherlands and given a rapturous welcome by 10,000 delighted Dutchman, each dressed in orange as is the norm on such occasions, chanting: "Foppe bedankt, Foppe bedankt" ("Thank you Foppe, Thank you Foppe"). Meanwhile, Foppe's "boys" - as he likes to call his players - showed their gratitude by spraying him with champagne. "This all feels a bit unnatural because the players are the artists, not me," said De Haan. "But what can I do?"

Sleepless night
Although the 4-1 final victory against Serbia was played at Groningen's Euroborg Stadion, as opposed to the Abe Lenstra in Herenveen which is so dear to De Haan's heart, the coach, who has become one of the few people known nationwide by just his Christian name, was hailed for putting the region on the map. "He is a living advertisement for Friesland," said provincial governor Ed Nijpels. Led by captain Ron Vlaar, who missed the final due to a knee injury, the players then mingled with fans and signed autographs for an hour and a half before leaving for their summer holidays and some well-earned rest. They had, after all, barely slept the night before. "We partied until early Sunday morning," confessed SC Heerenveen defender Gianni Zuiverloon. "We only slept for two hours."