The Netherlands team visited Robben Island on Wednesday, where Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists were long held in prison.
The Dutch scrapped their morning training session and coach Bert van Marwijk decided to take a ferry to the island for a guided tour, a day before their last Group E game against Cameroon at the World Cup.
``It really was appreciated by the players,'' said Van Marwijk. ``We had time for it, and then you have to be able to offer the players something like that,'' he said.
The Dutch are based in Johannesburg and it was their first visit to Cape Town. The former prison is a half-hour ferry ride from the inner harbor.
They were shown the prison cells and the sandy, uneven football pitch where the prisoners used to play.
During the apartheid years, Mandela and President Jacob Zuma spent time there, playing football with fellow political prisoners.
``When you walk through the gate and you know everything that happened there,'' said Mark van Bommel, he voice trailing off. ``You see the players get real quiet instead,'' he said.
The players returned to the mainland for a training session at the Green Point Stadium, which can be seen from Robben Island.
The Dutch are already through to the second round, while Cameroon cannot advance.
