Berne city president Alexander Tschäppät has praised the Netherlands supporters for their colour and conduct during the group games in the Swiss federal capital.

'Outstanding'
The Stade de Suisse staged all three of the Oranje's Group C matches, while up to 625,000 visitors from around the world converged on Berne to celebrate the festival of football. Speaking of the Dutch fans, who swamped the Bundesplatz to create a sea of orange, Tschäppät said: "We will always have very fond memories of their outstanding supporters."

Gratitude
The Netherlands fans themselves expressed their thanks for the wonderful hospitality they received by placing a large advertisement in Berne's biggest newspaper. They also promised that, in the event of a tournament victory, they would return to toast their triumph with the city's residents. Berne's transport plan also proved a notable success – on matchdays, up to 95 per cent of all visitors used public transport to get to the city and the Stade de Suisse. "These figures prove it is possible to host an event as large as UEFA EURO 2008™ and place our complete faith in the public transport system," added Tschäppät.