Steven Berghuis thinks it is very unfair that he received a red card, as he emphasizes after the defeat in the Europa League match with Olympique Marseille (4-3). The attacking midfielder was sent off the field in the 63rd minute of play by referee Simone Sozza, who made his debut in Europe, after a tackle along the sideline. In front of the camera Veronica Berghuis expresses his dissatisfaction with the decision.
“I don't think it's a red card to be honest,” says Berghuis. “I even have doubts about yellow. I stop him fair, but I roll over the ball. I bring my other leg into it and that brings me into contact with him.”
“So what I say: personally I even have doubts about yellow, but there were more questionable decisions. Everyone was in disbelief, but of course it's a shame. I was enjoying the match myself and with Ajax we were also fully engaged in the match. With ten people you don't make it easier for yourself.”
“Both penalties are very questionable. That referee is Italian, so maybe he is a fan of Gennaro Gattuso,” the Ajax player finally refers to the coach of Olympique Marseille. “I don't know, but you would almost think so.”
“I didn't think about a red card when I saw it,” trainer John van 't Schip emphasized in front of the camera at the same time ESPN. “But if you watch those images six times, the violation becomes increasingly worse.”
“He just hits the ball, although of course he went over it with his foot. Of course it was also on the sidelines, so you get a lot of commotion from the bench. When he is called by the VAR, you know that things are often wrong. I think the referee made his European debut tonight, so maybe he was also under high tension,” said the Ajax coach.
Due to the defeat, Ajax is in any case eliminated from the Europa League, although the team from Amsterdam can still qualify for the interim round of the Conference League if they beat AEK Athens in the last group match.