Referee Danny Makkelie gets a kick out of PSV club icons René van Willy van de Kerkhof after the 2-1 defeat of ‘their’ club in Sunday’s top match against Ajax. Makkelie allowed Ajax 2-1, while the ball seemed to have been over the sideline before it landed with Noussair Mazraoui.
“I think the ball was over the line”, René emphasized on Monday morning in the radio program ‘Wakker!’ on Omroep Brabant. “If you see the moment on TV and you see the images of the VAR – the video referee – you think: that ball is out. But you are dealing with the bulge and the like. However, I thought it was cowardly of Makkelie that he did not took responsibility to look at the images himself and to say whether he thought the ball was over the line or not.
Got hundreds of apps
The referee pointed out after the game that a touchline is a fact, and that he does not have to look at it himself if the VAR indicates that the ball did not fully cross the line.
Willy finds it a bit easy for the arbitrator to put the blame on the VAR in this way. According to the midfielder of yesteryear, the ball was clearly over the line. “Hundred percent! There was no discussion for me. Makkelie could have looked at the images herself. Of course it is difficult to judge, but if you see the images … I received hundreds of apps on Sunday with photos of the whole thing. Based on that, you have to conclude that the ball was completely over the line. Then a throw-in should have been given.”
‘Lacky’
On social media, many Ajax supporters emphasize that the Amsterdam victory was deserved despite this fact, because in their opinion PSV played ‘lazy’ football. They found Ajax to be the better team on Sunday afternoon and concluded on that basis that PSV rightly lost.
“I don’t think so,” René responded. “Ajax was better at certain moments. It was a weak match in particular, especially in the first half, but after Mario Götze’s equalizer there were one or two good opportunities for PSV, including for Ritsu Doan. But Ajax also got some great opportunities.”
Bold line-up
Brother Willy believes that this duel did not deserve a winner. “A draw would have represented the proportions best. It was a nice second half, but Ajax was technically a bit better than PSV. PSV played in a daring line-up, without a real striker and with midfielder Mario Götze surprisingly in that position, as a false rush hour.”
According to the ex-international, however, this also characterizes the level of the current PSV strikers, if you as a trainer do not put a real striker in the base in such a match. “There’s going to be some talk about that.”
‘Football should rule, not the name-calling!’
Willy was also ashamed of all the name-calling during the topper. “Certainly in such an empty stadium, then you hear everything. The respect is far away, I think. Players and trainers wish each other the very, very worst. That is not possible. You are colleagues of each other! Football must dominate, not the insults. That has to be dealt with! Just like against players such as Lisandro Martínez, who was two meters outside the lines and rolled back into the field. Then you make yourself ridiculous and the football too. I don’t think that fits.”
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