Vasilios Zagaritis conceded a controversial penalty for a handball during sc Heerenveen’s 5-3 victory over Feyenoord in the Abe Lenstra Stadion, Voetbalzone reported.
Referee Danny Makkelie awarded the spot-kick in the first half after Givairo Read delivered a cross that struck the defender’s arm.
Makkelie initially considered a corner kick before following the advice of his assistant on the sideline. “I walk in a central position and the assistant looks in from the sideline,” Makkelie told ESPN, according to Voetbalzone.
“She sees the arm out of the body and where the ball comes. That is also teamwork. We work as a team and if she gives that advice, I have no reason to doubt it.” The Friesland team conceded two goals in the first half, one of which came from the disputed penalty.
VAR Clay Ruperti decided not to intervene after reviewing the incident, leaving heavy debate over whether Zagaritis’ arm constituted a legal support arm while sliding across the grass. Makkelie strongly rejected that interpretation when speaking to the press. “A support arm is an arm in a vertical position, while the player is not yet on the ground,” Makkelie stated, as reported by Voetbalzone. “You bring your arm to the ground to break your fall.”
The referee added that once a defender slides and moves horizontally across the turf, the classification changes entirely. “At the moment a defender makes a sliding tackle and the arm goes along horizontally over the grass, that is no longer a support arm, because the player is already lying down,” Makkelie said. The discussion centered particularly on whether Zagaritis’ arm slid across the ground acting as a support arm.
Analyst Arnold Bruggink questioned the penalty during the half-time broadcast on ESPN, expressing confusion over the punishment despite understanding the technical explanation of the rules. Makkelie acknowledged Bruggink’s critique directly. “Arnold Bruggink explained it excellently,” Makkelie told ESPN. “In my view Zagaritis slides towards the ball with his arm backwards,” Veldman told ESPN.
“He cannot fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes.” Veldman later added that he could live with the referee’s explanation because the decision did not ultimately alter the outcome of the 5-3 match. According to the referee from Dordrecht, it was very fortunate for the officiating crew that Heerenveen won and the call did not decide the match.
Een discutabel moment in Heerenveen 👀 Terechte penalty of niet? 🤔#HEEFEY pic.twitter.com/o2a2sat2VV
sc Heerenveen won the match 5-3 after overcoming an early 0-2 deficit in the Abe Lenstra Stadion, according to VoetbalPrimeur.
Ringo Meerveld scored three goals after coming off the bench, as reported by VoetbalPrimeur.
Ik zag een voorzet met een verdediger die een sliding maakt,
Makkelie stated when explaining to ESPN that he initially thought of a corner kick before his assistant pointed to the spot.
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