WILLEM II MIDFIELDER Anouar Kali made history on Wednesday as he became the first player to be sent off by the video assistant referee in his side’s 5-0 Dutch Cup defeat at the hands of Ajax.
Wednesday’s encounter at the Amsterdam Arena was the first competitive game involving a video assistant referee and the experiment immediately paid off as Danny Makkelie dismissed Kali at video official Pol van Boekel’s advice.
Kali initially seemed to escape with a booking after a reckless foul on Lasse Schone in midfield, only for the match official to pull out a red moments later after speaking to his video assistant.
“I asked Pol whether he was 100% sure and he did not have any doubts. It’s a clear decision then,” Makkelie explained.
“The video footage speaks for itself. This is one of those moments where a video referee proves to be very useful.”
Van Boekel, meanwhile, explained that he watched a number of replays before advising Makkelie to dismiss Kali.
“I immediately thought ‘ouch’ after I saw the tackle,” Van Boekel stated.
“I watched the foul again a number of times from various angles and reached the conclusion that it was definitely a red card.
“Had I had the chance to see the foul like that on the pitch, I would have given a red card.”
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
