Sydney van Hooijdonk seethes with anger: ‘I don’t know what I can say without being suspended, but...’
Sydney van Hooijdonk has slammed referee Allard Lindhout after Willem II and PEC Zwolle drew 1-1. The Zwolle striker believes he should have had a penalty shortly before half-time and told ESPN after the match that he could not believe the decision.
A few minutes before half-time, Van Hooijdonk went to ground at a corner as Willem II midfielder Calvin Twigt pulled him back with both arms. Lindhout did not point to the spot, and VAR Richard Martens decided not to send the referee to the monitor.
Watching the footage for the first time after the match, Van Hooijdonk reacts in disbelief. "I honestly don't know what to say. I think it's absolutely disgraceful. I don't know what words I'm allowed to use without getting a suspension," says the visibly frustrated striker.
He cannot understand why Lindhout did not award a penalty and insists he did nothing wrong. "For me, there's absolutely no doubt. What do I do wrong? I challenge for the ball in a way a defender might do a million times in a match, and he pulls me all the way back. I honestly can't understand how that isn't a penalty."
After the incident, the forward spoke to Lindhout several times. The referee told him he had committed a foul first. "If that's a foul by me, then every challenge is a foul. Defenders do this in every challenge, and if you do the slightest thing as an attacker, it's a foul. I think that's very unfair," says Van Hooijdonk.
The footage only deepens the PEC Zwolle striker's frustration. "This is exactly how I experienced it on the pitch. Sometimes you feel something on the pitch and then watch it back and think you experienced it differently. But this is exactly how I experienced it. Very strange," says Van Hooijdonk.
With the incident coming a few minutes before half-time, PEC Zwolle may have missed a golden chance to take the lead. Van Hooijdonk had put his side 0-1 up in the second minute, but Hidde ter Avest equalised barely a minute later. "It would have been a really good time to get a penalty, but it is what it is. I'll be frustrated about it today, but tomorrow we have to move on."
He also criticises his side's performance in the rest of the match. "I don't think you enjoyed watching the match with your popcorn," he says. "We're quite good at times, but as soon as we get to the penalty area, we're not dangerous enough. You simply have to win a match like that."
