Chants aimed at referee Joey Kooij marred Sunday afternoon's match between FC Twente and Ajax. The crowd turned on him in the 78th minute after a remarkable VAR intervention halted a huge chance for FC Twente to equalise.
Inside his own penalty area, Ajax substitute Sofyan Amrabat lost the ball to Ramiz Zerrouki. The FC Twente midfielder had an excellent chance to make it 2-2.
Kooij stopped play just as Zerrouki threatened. VAR Dennis Higler then called him to the monitor to review an incident from about half a minute earlier.
At an Ajax corner, Wout Weghorst had touched the ball with his hand, but Dies Janse had fouled him first.
Janse had pushed Weghorst, leaving the forward caught up in the challenge. Kooij studied the footage and took considerable time to decide.
After the review, Kooij decided against awarding a penalty. His whistle had already interrupted Zerrouki's promising attack, compounding FC Twente's frustration.
FC Twente supporters turned on Kooij at De Grolsch Veste. "Joey is a son of a whore," rang out loudly from the stands.
Despite that frustration, Twente went on to earn a point against Ajax through a controversial penalty from Wout Weghorst. After the match, the Twente crowd again called Kooij a "son of a whore" en masse. Loud whistles followed the referee as he left the pitch.