Van Dijk wants major refereeing change after painful Euro 2024 defeat

The Netherlands just missed out on the final of Euro 2024 after losing 2-1 to England in a match with a series of controversial refereeing decisions.

Dutch captain Virgil Van Dijk was left puzzled by the decisions, telling BeIN Sports, “I don't know what to say, I don't know if I should say something about this.”

Per Van Dijk, the referee, Felix Zwayer, didn’t hang around for long enough to even shake his hand, which the Liverpool defender claimed, “says it all”.

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The most talked about moment came in the first half when England were awarded a penalty fouling contact on Harry Kane in the box. Zwayer initially waved it away, but VAR intervened with the penalty eventually awarded, the decision has left many in football baffled, including Gary Neville who described it as “disgraceful”.

Van Dijk did state, “listen; it is what it is. The game is done. We lost. It's very tough to take,” following the game, but other statements suggested he was happy to lay the blame at the referee’s door.

The former Celtic and Southampton defender was asked if he believed referees should be made to explain their decisions, he answered, “maybe it's a good thing that they could be held accountable as well”.

Van Dijk’s comments on accountability continued, with the Dutch captain noting, “Let them come here and speak to you guys and explain themselves in certain moments, like we have to explain ourselves when we do something wrong as well,” per BeIN Sports.

Whilst the Dutch may rue the referee’s decisions, their undoing was finalised by Ollie Watkins’ late strike, which Van Dijk claimed, “shattered our dreams”.

The Dutch came across an England side seemingly freed of some of their previous nervousness, which created a far more interesting battle than some games in the tournament, with both sides playing attractive football at times.

Whilst many in football media feel it wasn’t a penalty, ITV pundit Ian Wright claimed, “When you look at the way penalties are given now and the way the game is when we go to VAR, that was reckless,” with the former Arsenal striker believing it should have been given. Let us know in the comments if you agree with Van Dijk or Wright!

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