In a heated semi-final clash at the 2024 European Championship, England faced off against the Netherlands, with England ultimately emerging victorious with a 2-1 win thanks to a Kane penalty and a Watkins winner. However, several refereeing decisions in the match, particularly the penalty awarded to Kane, sparked strong criticism from Dutch manager Ronald Koeman.
In the 15th minute of the match, Kane received the ball in the penalty area and prepared to shoot, when Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries inadvertently kicked Kane’s foot, causing the English forward to fall. The referee, Felix Zwayer, initially refrained from making a decision, but after consultation with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), he headed to the sidelines to review the incident on the monitor. After some deliberation, Zwayer awarded England a penalty and issued a yellow card to Dumfries.
Kane stepped up to take the spot-kick and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, despite a dive from the Dutch goalkeeper. The goal tied the score at 1-1, after the Netherlands had taken an early lead through Simons. England went on to secure the victory in the second half with a goal from Watkins.
After the match, Koeman expressed his extreme dissatisfaction with the referee’s decision in the post-match press conference, stating unequivocally: “This is a classic example of VAR intervention. As a defender, how are you supposed to defend in these situations? It was not a penalty at all.” Koeman further added: “Football is being ruined by these kinds of decisions and the way VAR is being used.”
Beyond the penalty controversy, Koeman also questioned Zwayer’s overall refereeing performance. “I think he whistled too often during the match. Many of his calls seemed a bit far-fetched. If the same scenes had happened to England, I’m sure the referee wouldn’t have whistled so easily.” Koeman acknowledged that the Dutch defeat should not be solely attributed to the referee: “We lost because England scored a great second goal. However, I do think the referee was too sensitive to some minor physical contact and whistled too readily.”
Despite his protestations against the referee’s decisions, Koeman made it clear that the team should look for reasons for their loss within themselves, rather than simply placing blame on the officiating. This incident once again reignited the debate surrounding the role of VAR in modern football and its impact on the game.
This article is from a user submission and does not represent the views of Soccer News Pick. If you repost it, please indicate the source: https://www.soccernewspick.com/uefa-european-championship/7725.html
