Precious
Dutch referee Danny Makkelie has apologised after denying Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal the winning goal in Saturday’s 2-2 controversial draw against Serbia in a World Cup qualifier.
Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic attempted to clear Ronaldo’s goal-bound strike in stoppage time, but despite his efforts, the ball had crossed the line.
With no VAR or goal-line technology in place to review the incident, Makkelie waved play on much to the dismay of Ronaldo and his teammates.
“As per FIFA’s policies, all I can say is that I apologised to the national coach, Mr. Fernando Santos, and to the Portuguese team for what happened,” Makkelie told A Bola.
“As a referee team, we always work hard to make good decisions. When we are in the news in this manner, it doesn’t make us happy at all.”
