Netherlands Head Coach Complains VAR Destroying Football With England penalty in Euro 2024 semi-final
Ronald Koeman criticized the penalty decision that gave England an equalizer in the Netherlands’ Euro 2024 semi-final defeat, claiming that football is in trouble if such actions are considered fouls.
Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot after the video assistant referee (VAR) advised Felix Zwayer to review Denzel Dumfries’s attempt to block a shot by the England captain. Dumfries’s right boot collided with Kane’s just after Kane had taken a shot that went over the bar.
“As a former defender myself, what could he do in that situation?” Koeman said. “He tried to block the ball. Penalizing that suggests we can’t play proper football.” The Netherlands head coach added, “I think VAR is ruining football. It really breaks the game.”
Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk called on Zwayer to explain his decision and believes the referee knew he made a mistake based on his behavior at full-time. “I think it says it all that the referee left quickly after the game,” Van Dijk told beIN Sports. “I didn’t even have time to shake his hand. But listen, it is what it is. The game is done. We lost, and it’s tough to take.”
Van Dijk suggested referees should face the media. “They should come here and speak to you guys and explain themselves in certain moments, just like we have to explain ourselves when we do something wrong. I think that might help, but I shouldn’t speak about others. We have to look at ourselves, and unfortunately, we are out.”
Van Dijk also mentioned he would consider his future for both club and country over the next few weeks. He has one year left on his Liverpool contract. “I don’t know right now,” he said. “I’ll think carefully this summer about what I want at club level and as an international player. Then we’ll go for it again, but first I need to recover from this.”
Koeman took positives from his team’s performances throughout the tournament. “We should be proud because we’ve achieved many things in these weeks, and there’s no criticism after seeing how my players fought until the end,” he said. “We fought like lions. We just needed a little more balance, and the English team managed that better than us, so congratulations to them.”