Johan Derksen acknowledges that FIFA’s decision to appoint Danny Makkelie as a World Cup referee is justified. Nevertheless, the Vandaag Inside pundit delivers a blunt assessment of the top Dutch official’s form.
“I don’t think he’s having a good season. But he owes it to his international reputation,” Derksen said on Friday’s broadcast. For Makkelie (43), this is his second World Cup, following the 2018 finals in Qatar.
Derksen also criticises Makkelie for regularly officiating in Saudi Arabia, calling it unacceptable on human grounds.
“I don’t understand it, and it always bothers me. I’ve said it before: Makkelie is gay and is going to referee in Saudi Arabia, where just a street away a gay man can be hanged simply for being gay. You don’t do that for money; you don’t go there for fun,” Derksen reiterates.
“It’s a bit of a cash-in for Makkelie. They’re happy for him,” Derksen adds. Makkelie served as a VAR at the 2018 World Cup and as a referee at the European Championships in 2021 and 2024.
A few years ago, Makkelie stressed that officiating in the Saudi Pro League was a “wonderful experience”, and he continues to argue that sport and politics should not be mixed.