Ruben van Bommel sparked fresh controversy on Friday night during PSV's home match against sc Heerenveen. In the 32nd minute, the PSV forward caught defender Sam Kersten full in the face with his foot but escaped without a card. A number of viewers reacted furiously on social media to referee Joey Kooij's decision.
The incident followed a long kick from PSV goalkeeper Matej Kovár. Van Bommel went for the ball with his foot while Kersten tried to clear it with his head. The PSV player missed the ball completely and caught the Heerenveen defender full in the face.
Kersten went down in considerable pain and needed treatment. Kooij did give Heerenveen a free-kick but chose not to punish Van Bommel with a yellow or red card. As a result, because of the new rule, Kersten then also had to stay on the touchline for a minute after his treatment.
That decision sparked outrage on social media. "Van Bommel smashes straight into someone's face, doesn't touch the ball and gets nothing. It's already the second time this season that he's escaped a red card. How many more times is Van Bommel going to get away with this? Disgrace!" an angry viewer writes on X.
Earlier this season, Joey Veerman, who now plays for Borussia Dortmund, was shown a red card for a similar action. During the Johan Cruyff Shield clash against AZ, the then PSV midfielder caught Mexx Meerdink in the head with his studs.
Another viewer pointed to an earlier incident: "When you see how often Van Bommel torpedoes someone, it cannot possibly have been accidental with Bouwman."
The post referred to Van Bommel's much-discussed foul during the league top-of-the-table clash between Ajax and PSV (1-3) on 5 September. In the 80th minute, the forward flew in hard on Ajax defender Aaron Bouwman, who went for the ball with his head. Referee Sander van Eijk punished the collision at the time with only a yellow card.