Feyenoord failed to impress on Sunday afternoon in their away match against Volendam, managing only a lacklustre 0-0 draw. After the match, manager Robin van Persie couldn’t resist taking a dig at the referees, who he felt had made a number of questionable decisions.
During the press conference, several situations from the match were discussed, including potential ‘penalty moments’ involving Gonçalo Borges and Ayase Ueda. The role of the VAR was also highlighted, after which Van Persie cynically made his dissatisfaction clear.
“Were they there today? Were they really there? Oh, okay. Well, good to know they were there,” said Van Persie, who is clearly unhappy with the referees’ performance and subsequently cites the Japanese striker as an example.
"I think it’s particularly unfair on Ayase," he continued. "He’s being tackled very hard, and that’s allowed as long as it stays within the lines, but Ayase is a very fair player. He really doesn’t just go down for the sake of it."
"But he really never gets anything out of it, absolutely nothing. He doesn’t get a penalty, no free kick, nothing, ever. It’s truly unbelievable," said an irritated Van Persie, who hopes his striker will be given more protection.
"I think Ayase deserves a bit more protection in that regard. I missed that protection today. And you could see today that I feel that way," continued the manager, before going on to discuss the striker’s own role.
"The timing is sometimes just a little too late or just a little too early, which could give the referee or VAR the impression that it’s not a penalty. But nine times out of ten, it is a penalty," he continued.
"He gets his shirt pulled and fouls are committed against him. It just goes on and on. He could certainly handle it more intelligently. I’ve spoken to him about it before, and he agrees," concludes the player with 102 international caps.