How Post-colonial Migration Influenced Dutch Football
By Sports Editor Jack Kelly
In the latest episode of “Populist, right-wing political party vs immigrants” Suella Braverman, the United Kingdom’s Home Secretary, said that multiculturalism has “failed” in Europe. A quick history lesson would point out that not only are these migrants in search of a better life but are also, for the most part, from countries fractured by the British Empire or are victims of the UK’s intervention in local issues. To display the failings of her xenophobic statement, let us examine the impact, in a sporting context, of multiculturalism in the Netherlands.
For quite some time, the Netherlands has been viewed as a haven for liberal ideals and a space for such beliefs to flourish. The country’s progressive social and cultural values often make it a hotspot for tourists interested in cafes offering more than just overpriced cappuccinos. This view of the Dutch as an open minded, innovative people extends to the world of football. Since the 1970’s, the Dutch have been regarded as the pioneers of the modern game with the development and growth of “Total Football” by Rinus Michels.
The concept of Total Football can be boiled down to being a system in which any outfield player can take the position of another outfield player without the team losing its shape. For example, if a right back made an overlapping run ahead of the right winger, they would then take the position of right winger while the right winger would seamlessly slot into right back. Total Football requires an elevated level of technical proficiency and intelligence as players must possess a wide range of skills and intelligence to suit this style. Although this sounds rather basic and, in some respects, it is, this system has been widely successful and influential. The Dutch national team were runners up at two successive World Cup finals using this method during the 1970’s while Ajax won three European Cups between 1971-1973.
Virtually any conversation about Dutch football will revolve around the impact Total Football has had on modern football. The spread of Dutch footballers in the 1980’s and 1990’s to various parts of Europe led to a movement of ideas that resembled a footballing renaissance most notably with Johan Cruyff and Louis Van Gaal at FC Barcelona. Eventually, the deployment of this system led to a period of dominance by FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team in the early twentieth-first century. To any football nerd this story is undoubtedly interesting, especially when you dig deeper into its socio-cultural history, and view its implementation in academies, its successes, and the personal stories of the key figures involved in moulding the tactic. However, that story has been told and retold over and over again. But it can be said that the history of Dutch football is not just about Total Football. It can be argued that, along with Total Football, the mass migration of people from the former Dutch colony of Suriname has revolutionised Dutch football to the same degree.
Personality clashes aside, Ruud Gullit, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Frank Rijkaard and Virgil Van Dijk would make quite the five-a-side team, but along with boasting a supreme level of footballing prowess, this group also shares a heritage with several former and current Dutch internationals; they are of Surinamese descent.
Suriname is the smallest nation in South America and has a population of just over half a million. Sandwiched between French Guiana and Guyana, Suriname also neighbours Brazil to its south. But its past is all too similar to a number of countries across South America and Africa; it has suffered the scourge of colonialism.
Suriname was first “explored” by the British in 1651 before it was seized by the Dutch in 1667, and that year it was ceded to the Netherlands in exchange for New Amsterdam (now New York City). Relying on slaves from West Africa, the Dutch began to profit from the country's agricultural assets such as sugar, rice, and bananas. Suriname's national language became Dutch, and it remained a colony of the Netherlands until 1975.
There were a multitude of reasons for the mass migration of Surinamese people to Holland at this particular time. Despite self-governance, Suriname’s economy began to suffer and with that came mass unemployment. With high unemployment and most of the population living with incomes at the minimum subsistence level, a third of the population emigrated to the Netherlands during the late 70’s due to the increased opportunity for employment. Moreover, the fear that it would become impossible to go to the Netherlands in the near future following independence made many Surinamese decide to migrate as quickly as possible. Additionally, anxiety relating to the possibility of ethnic conflicts led to many-who would not have normally left the country- fleeing to the Netherlands. Finally, in 1973 Joop den Uyl, the leader of the Dutch labour party, became prime minister, and curbing the flow of Surinamese immigrants through independence was one of his top priorities. However, the results of his policy measures were contradictory. They caused a panic in Suriname and led to an unprecedented flow of immigrants.
Sadly, the first wave of Surinamese migrants were met by anti-immigration attitudes not too dissimilar from those being peddled by far-right groups across the continent today. This is best evidenced by referring to a research paper by Professor Hans Van Amersfoort (a professor of Socio-Cultural/Population Geography at the University of Amsterdam). He writes “In the view of many people within government and the general public, the Surinamese immigrant population mainly consisted of lazy unemployed drug dealers and other criminals and, curiously enough, nationalistic intellectuals.” Likewise, segments of the Dutch media capitalised on anti-immigration sentiments and further demonised those who were vulnerable. “This selective, negative image of the Surinamese living in the Netherlands was disseminated by the media which concentrated on the special or remarkable.” Filmmaker Andre Reeder elucidates this by saying “Newspapers like De Telegraaf created an atmosphere as well that Surinamese people were profiteers, thugs, people who came to steal your job. Similar to what refugees are reduced to now.”
The anti-migrant ethos seemed to make its way onto the football pitches of the Netherlands. This is exemplified by a quote from the former Dutch international Winston Bogarde: “You had to be at least twice as good as a white player in the same position. Many players quit the game because they were not being given the chance to prove themselves. Today, people’s eyes are more open but in the past it was a real struggle.”
On the pitch, one might posit that the late 1970’s is the point where Dutch football enters a transitional, less successful period as the systematic Total Football era begins to unwind due to the retirement of key players following the defeat to Argentina in the 1978 World Cup. However, a deeper exploration would suggest that this is just a development stage in the history of Dutch football as football and society was re-energised by an influx of South American natives to the cities and football clubs of the Netherlands.
Building on from the success of Total Football, Dutch football during the 1980’s was synonymous with the possession-based style it had inherited from Cruyff and co. but now it was infused with South American flair. Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullitt were central to the Dutch team that won the European Championship in 1988 (wearing the best football kit of all time). Similarly, six members of the Ajax team that won the Champions League in 1995 can trace their heritage to Suriname. Although it is clear that descendants of Surinamese migrants progressed Dutch football on from agonising defeats to eventual success on the international stage, it must be asked why? Is it as simple as preparing a football cocktail devised of organisation and technical proficiency with a hint of South American exuberance?
A key figure in this story, Ruud Gullit, acknowledges the impact of multiculturalism; he also credits the coaching philosophies in the Netherlands. “The coaching in Holland is some of the best in the world. Players are raised with attention to tactics and technique. That has benefited the Surinamese players and also the Dutch players. That mixture has helped produce interesting and exciting teams and it has made us what we are.”
Following the loss to Argentina in the 1978 World Cup, there was a general feeling in Holland that they would never experience success on the international stage but no more than ten years later a man of Surinamese heritage lifted the country's first international trophy as captain, Ruud Gullit. To this day Oranje still profits from Surinamese players, with the latest crop of international stars including Virgil van Dijk, Michel Vorm and Georgino Wijnaldum. Perhaps, Braverman is wrong, and multiculturalism is not a failure, who knew?
