Robben to rejoin squad but out of opener
JOHANNESBURG - Netherlands winger Arjen Robben will join the Dutch squad in South Africa on Saturday but is unlikely to feature in the Dutch Group E opener against Denmark on Monday, coach Bert van Marwijk said on Friday.
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Robben sustained a hamstring injury during the final warm-up match against Hungary on June 5, in which he scored twice, and stayed behind in the Netherlands to undergo treatment.
"We will have to see how his status of recovery is as we didn't see him for a week," Van Marwijk told a news conference at the Dutch training venue Wits University in Johannesburg.
During Friday's training session, only playmaker Wesley Sneijder attracted much attention with his edgy behaviour.
Van Marwijk said he believed it was caused by the start of the tournament, and that increasing tension in the Dutch squad contrasted with a more relaxed impression they had given during their first six days in South Africa.
"Maybe it all seemed relaxed from the outside but I noticed that there is a bit more tension," he said. "And maybe Sneijder was an example of that today."
The coach himself appeared to be suffering from the excitement as he proved less talkative than on previous occasions.
However, he did explain his anger about an online racism row sparked by Eljero Elia.
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Elia appeared to insult a Moroccan friend on a live stream, which forced Van Marwijk to forbid his squad to use their Twitter accounts during the tournament.
"I gave them a chance as it is a new medium but if you handle it like this I have to react," he added.
"I was angry and addressed the measure to the complete squad and did not speak with Elia alone."
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