Koeman Calls up Maatsen to Replace Injured De Jong in Netherlands Euro 2024 Squad 

Ian Maatsen of Dortmund in action during the UEFA Champions League final match of Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid, in London, Britain, 01 June 2024. (EPA)
Ian Maatsen of Dortmund in action during the UEFA Champions League final match of Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid, in London, Britain, 01 June 2024. (EPA)
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Koeman Calls up Maatsen to Replace Injured De Jong in Netherlands Euro 2024 Squad 

Ian Maatsen of Dortmund in action during the UEFA Champions League final match of Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid, in London, Britain, 01 June 2024. (EPA)
Ian Maatsen of Dortmund in action during the UEFA Champions League final match of Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid, in London, Britain, 01 June 2024. (EPA)

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman called up versatile Borussia Dortmund defender Ian Maatsen on Tuesday to replace midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who was cut from the European Championship squad because of an ankle injury.

Koeman announced late Monday that De Jong would not be fit in time to play at the tournament in Germany that begins Friday.

The Dutch soccer association also said Tuesday that midfielder Teun Koopmeiners will miss Euro 2024 after suffering an injury while warming up Monday for the Netherlands' final friendly against Iceland.

Maatsen, who was part of the provisional Netherlands squad, was set to return from vacation to join the team at its base in the German city of Wolfsburg.

Maatsen impressed this year after moving on loan from Chelsea to Dortmund. He was named in UEFA's Champions League team of the season and will give Koeman an extra option on the left flank.

The Netherlands, the 1988 European champion, plays Poland in its first Group D match on Sunday in Hamburg before taking on World Cup runner-up France and completing the group stage against Austria.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.