Dutch-France friendly still on despite Brussels blasts

An international friendly between Netherlands and France scheduled for Friday evening “will take place as scheduled” despite the terror attacks in neighbouring Belgium, the Royal Dutch Football Federation said Wednesday.

The Dutch are scheduled to meet Les Bleus at the Amsterdam Arena in the wake of Tuesday’s bombings in Brussels, which officials say have killed at least 30 people.

“The match will take place as scheduled,” KNVB spokesman Hans van Kastel told AFP.

“We are, however, taking our directions from the authorities,” he added.

“We are closely following all news and developments,” a KNVB spokesman told the daily tabloid Algemeen Dagblad.

Van Kastel confirmed that so far no extra measures have been taken to beef up security for Friday evening’s match in the Dutch capital.

Training for Belgium’s friendly football match against Portugal was called off on Tuesday following the deadly explosions that rocked Brussels airport and metro.

There was no immediate word if the match, due to be played next Tuesday at the King Baudoin stadium in the Belgian capital, would go ahead.

In another reaction to the blasts, the Travers la Flandre cycling race, which had been due to be held on Wednesday, was also called off.