Sander van der Eijk will referee Saturday evening's crunch match between Ajax and PSV. The KNVB announced on Monday that he has been appointed for the first major showdown of the Eredivisie season, but the decision immediately raised eyebrows among a large section of supporters.
Ajax and PSV meet on Saturday at 20.00 in the Johan Cruyff ArenA. It will be the first top match of the 2026/27 VriendenLoterij Eredivisie season, and both sides can send out an important signal straight away with a good result.
In Amsterdam, Van der Eijk will be assisted by Rens Bluemink and Sander de Groot. Richard Martens will be the fourth official, while Pol van Boekel has been appointed as VAR and Dyon Fikkert will serve as AVAR.
PSV go into the match second in the Eredivisie, while Ajax are currently fourth. The Amsterdam side have, however, played one game fewer and can draw level on points with the Eindhoven side if they win.
Not everyone on social media has greeted Van der Eijk's appointment with understanding. One Ajax supporter reacted tellingly: "They thought: shall we appoint the worst referee in the Eredivisie?"
Over on Ajax Showtime, there was also surprise at the KNVB's decision. "Huh, a top match and then Sander van der Eijk, laughable," a supporter wrote under the post about the refereeing appointment.
X also brought a critical response. "Van der Eijk for Ajax v PSV, what a joke," someone said. Daniël added: "Is this serious, what a disgraceful choice by the association. A very, very, very mediocre ref. Top referees should be doing top matches, it's not a playground."