Olympics fans call for Netherlands to be disqualified after ‘disgraceful’ brawl in gold medal match

Olympics fans have called for Netherlands to be disqualified after an 'embarrassing' and 'disgraceful' brawl broke out after they won gold in the men's hockey final yesterday (8 August).

The Dutch team beat their German opponents 3-1 in a tense shootout after the game finished with a 1-1 tie.

Their victory, however, was totally overshadowed by Dutchman Duco Telgenkamp who, after firing the winning penalty past German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg, performed a shushing gesture to him before 'tapping' him on the head.

This action led to a pretty heated 'scuffle' with one Olympics BBC commentator saying: "There's a scuffle breaking out because Duco Telgenkamp has gone to Danneberg and tapped him on the head.

"It was unnecessary for him to do so. Very unpleasant scenes."

The 'very unpleasant scenes' after full-time totally dampened what was the Dutch side's first men's hockey Olympic gold medal in 24 years.

Following the brawl, Telgenkamp apologised for his behaviour but blamed comments Danneberg allegedly made before the game commenced - where the German claimed the Dutch were scared of them.

"In hindsight, I shouldn’t have gone to him. I regret that. I also apologise," he said.

"I should have let it go and it wasn’t very smart. But it’s also a bit the nature of the beast. I can be very cool-headed, but I can also let myself go. Is that part of it?

"He affected me personally. Sports are not business, it doesn’t take much to be provoked. That’s how I go into the match. I felt a bit offended."

It's clear the other side weren't too happy with end verdict either with Germany's forward Christopher Rühr saying: "We deserved to win the gold medal. It was an incredibly close match that came down to the shoot-out.

"The Dutch team had the luck today, but our overall performance was strong. I think it is phenomenal that we made it to two finals at major sports events and won major knockout games."

The footage from the match has since made its way across social media with many rushing in to share their outrage over Telgenkamp's 'disappointing' behaviour.

One X user hit out: "Should be disqualified."

"Absolutely embarrassing and disgraceful," slammed a second, while a third declared: "So unneeded."

"Winning with grace is just as important as losing with grace," reminded another.

While someone else added: "He went from hero to zero. Instead of moments of joy this scene will forever taint this victory. You are absolutely correct, this is not the Olympic spirit!"