To the dismay of Dutch football leaders, the struggle against racism took a dramatic turn on Saturday night as all-time great player Marco van Basten, was caught on live TV saying "Sieg Heil", literally Hail victory! which the Nazis used to signal obedience to Adolph Hitler.
A commentator on Dutch television's Fox network, van Basten thought his microphone was off when he said those words after interviewing the Heracles team's German manager after a loss to Ajax. It did not help when van Basten apologized saying that the phrase was the coach's nickname.