Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 11:40 PM• Last update: 23:49

Willem van Hanegem does not understand that Björn Kuipers had doubts about giving Jacob Rasmussen a red card. The defender of Vitesse was sent off the field five minutes before the end of the field during the cup final against Ajax (2-1 victory for the team from Amsterdam) after a hard tackle on Antony. Kuipers initially received a yellow card, but eventually showed Rasmussen red.

“I thought it was strange that referee Björn Kuipers first wanted to draw a very clear yellow card and then suddenly decided otherwise. Hadn’t he seen it all? Did he really need help from other people? That red card could have resulted in a boring extension, because Vitesse was simply no longer possible ”, writes Van Hanegem in his column in the Algemeen Dagblad. The Curve was’ actually quite happy ‘with David Neres’ winning goal in injury time.

“I don’t think even my friend Sjaak Swart will look back on this match of the week, because it just wasn’t good”, says Van Hanegem. He ‘didn’t have to think about it’ to watch Ajax – Vitesse for another half hour, because according to him the team from Amsterdam ‘played poorly’ and the opponent ‘couldn’t do better’. “Erik ten Hag was proud of Ajax after the elimination against AS Roma. At least that’s what he said in front of the rotating cameras. But I have seen Ajax play better than in recent weeks. It was very mediocre in Rome and it was mediocre in De Kuip. The best player in the final was Antony. ”

Van Hanegem is of the opinion that Vitesse plays ‘fresher and better’ at the beginning of the season. “Then you would think that it has revolved around Bazoer and Tannane too much and that it is a bit gone in Arnhem. I recently wrote that Vitesse was actually only Tannane and Bazoer, but that was not allowed according to the people there. So during the final I mainly looked at whether there are still a few players in that team that have something extra in it for the future. And I admit, there are a few more running. Doekhi and Rasmussen are indeed good players. ”