Netherlands Soccer News

MADRID, Spain (AP) _ Real Madrid signed Wesley Sneijder from Ajax for 27 million euros (C$28.87 million) Monday, the second Dutchman to join the Spanish champion in five days. The 23-year-old Netherlands midfielder agreed to a five-year deal and wass to unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium later Monday. ``Right now, this is a dream come true. I couldn't ask for more,'' Sneijder told sports daily As. ``I want to play at Real Madrid and I want ...

TILBURG, Netherlands (AP) _ Hooligans hurling seats and bottles injured several stewards and police made 26 arrests Tuesday night during rioting at an under-21 soccer international between the Netherlands and Morocco. Authorities in Tilburg, where the match was played, declared a state of emergency, which allowed police to block supporters from heading downtown after the match. Instead, most were put on buses and taken directly to the city's rail station. Henk Kesler, chief of the Dutch soccer association, ...

Ajax was held to a 2-2 draw by visiting AZ Alkmaar on Sunday in the Dutch league, leaving the Amsterdam team in third place. Johnny Heitinga gave Ajax the lead with a free kick in the 35th minute, but AZ tied the score in the 51st when former Ajax forward Shota Arveladze poked in a close range effort against the run of play. Five minutes later, a blunder by Maarten Stekelenburg gave David Mendez da Silva the chance ...

A Dutch league match was stopped in the 66th minute Sunday after dozens of ADO The Hague supporters ran on to the field with their team trailing 3-0. Referee Ruud Bossen stopped the game between last-place ADO and Vitesse Arnhem because the home fans at Zuiderpark ground made play impossible, the league said on its website. It was not immediately clear when the match would be completed. Danko Lazovic and ...

Fifty-seven Dutch soccer fans were arrested for various offences in downtown Amsterdam before Wednesday's Netherlands-England soccer friendly. Twenty-seven of the fans remained in custody Thursday on charges of public disorder, chanting racist slogans and failing to identify themselves to police, police spokesman Gerard Vrooland said. One group was arrested after fighting broke out in a bar in Amsterdam's red light district, which acts as a magnet for visiting soccer fans. ...

Clarence Seedorf could play for the Netherlands for the first time in more than two years after he was called up Monday for this week's friendly against England. The 30-year-old AC Milan midfielder was named as cover for Wesley Sneijder who injured his knee Sunday. Sneijder could still play in Wednesday's match at the Amsterdam Arena. Seedorf has scored 11 goals in 77 internationals, but has not played for the ...

Kenneth Perez scored two goals and set up two more for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on Sunday to lift Ajax over nine-man Feyenoord 4-0 in the Dutch league. Huntelaar first headed in Perez's 12th-minute corner, then scored again in the 38th off another assist from Perez. Perez converted from the penalty spot in the 50th after Dwight Tiendalli brought down Huntelaar in the area. The Denmark winger then put back a rebound ...

Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy reportedly wants to play for his country at the Beijing Olympics. Van Nistelrooy was dropped by Marco Van Basten after the Netherlands coach dropped him for a crucial match at this year's World Cup and is unlikely to play for the full national team in the immediate future. However Dutch media reported Thursday that Van Nistelrooy spoke recently to Netherlands Olympic officials about playing at ...

The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are ready to begin a campaign to jointly stage the 2018 World Cup, the organizer of the 2000 European Championship said Monday. ``We will certainly enter our bid during the month of January,'' said Alain Courtois, the organizer of the 2000 European Championship, which was co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium. ``We have a good opportunity,'' said Courtois on the Actua TV network. He said ...

PSV Eindhoven got four late goals Sunday to capture a 4-1 victory over Roda JC in the Dutch First Division soccer action. Davy de Fauw gave Roda the lead in the fourth minute, but PSV substitute Jefferson Farfan tied the score in the 75th. Two minutes later, Farfan set up Brazilian defender Alex for PSV's second goal, and substitutes Ismail Aissati and Roy Beerens added goals in injury time to stretch PSV's unbeaten home record to 29 games. PSV ...

Ryan Babel scored twice and Ajax beat FC Groningen 3-2 in the Dutch league on Saturday. Babel gave Ajax the lead in the 51st minute, before Ukraine midfielder Yevgeni Levchenko equalized with a penalty kick in the 56th. Four minutes later, Luis Suarez scored to put Groningen ahead, but Babel levelled in the 74th. Defender Urby Emanuelson scored the winner with an eight-meter shot in the 80th. It was the first loss of the season for Groningen, which hasn't won ...

Robin van Persie scored one goal and the Netherlands later benefited from an own-goal in a 2-1 win over Albania on Wednesday in European Championship qualifying. Khalid Boulahrouz headed the ball to Van Persie, who slotted the ball under Albania goalkeeper Arian Beqaj in the 14th minute. The hosts took a 2-0 lead in the 41st when Nevil Dede turned the ball into his own net off a cross from ...

Robin van Persie scored a 61st-minute equalizer Saturday to give Netherlands a 1-1 draw with Bulgaria in a European Championship qualifier. Van Persie scored with a header and Netherlands now has seven points from three matches in Group G. Martin Petrov scored for Bulgaria, which has five points, in the 11th minute. The Atletico Madrid striker dribbled through the defence and rolled the ball past Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. ``We are happy with this one point,'' Bulgaria ...

Gabri, Johnny Heitinga and Kenneth Perez scored Sunday to give Ajax a 3-2 win at 10-man FC Utrecht and first place in the Dutch league. Ajax went ahead when midfielder Wesley Sneijder set up Gabri in the seventh minute. A defensive mix-up by Utrecht allowed Heitinga to make it 2-0 just before halftime. Utrecht _ led by Foeke Booy, the Eredivisie's longest-serving coach _ dominated the action for most of ...