The Netherlands has two referees, Danny Makkelie and Björn Kuipers, who are active at the European Championship. If the the Dutch squad goes far in the tournament, there is a good chance that the arbiters will be sent home early. According to former top referee Mario van den Ende, this is a nonsensical rule of UEFA. “I don’t know why a Dutch referee couldn’t whistle the European Championship final when the the Dutch gets this far,” said the former referee. General Newspaper.
Van den Ende points to how referees are treated in ice hockey. “The America – Canada ice hockey final at the 2000 Olympics was led by three Canadian arbiters and went well. A referee should be neutral in that,” said the former leader, who was himself active in the final rounds of 1994, 1996 and 1998. At all tournaments, Van den Ende had to go home early because of the performance of the Dutch national team.
“Just as the best teams are in the final at a European Championship or World Cup, this should also apply to referees,” says Van den Ende. “You will not hear me say that Makkelie and Kuipers are the very best referees at this European Championship so far, in my view these are Antonio Mateu Lahoz and Felix Brych. But they are certainly part of the leading group. Then it would be strange if Makkelie and Kuipers later, when the the Dutch squad will be sent home. Yet it will go like this. And that is indicative of the ‘mammoth thinking’ of UEFA. They still live in the stone age with that organization. “
It General Newspaper let Bas Nijhuis also speak. The KNVB referee thinks differently than his predecessor. “Björn is definitely one of the four or five best referees at the European Championship and Danny is very close to that,” says Nijhuis. “Based on their qualities, they would absolutely deserve a final. No doubt about that. But I understand that it doesn’t work that way, if it actually comes to a European Championship final for the Dutch national team. Like me, as a resident of Enschede, no matches FC Twente whistles, I understand that a Dutchman does not whistle duels against the Dutch. No matter how objectively they will go into such a match, you still have the appearance in such a case. And you should not want that. “
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