The Netherlands still through to the World Cup after FIFA intervention
Dutch referees referee crucial matches after the disappointing elimination of the Dutch team against Morocco.
After the painful elimination against Morocco, the Netherlands is still active at the World Cup, thanks to a strategic intervention by FIFA that shifts the focus from the field to the sidelines. The 2-0 defeat against Morocco meant the end for the Orange Legion, but the attention now immediately shifts to Danny Makkelie and Dennis Higler. Makkelie, an established name in the international arbitration circuit, has been put in charge of a closely guarded eighth final.
Higler, his colleague, is charged with responsibility in a quarter-final. These appointments are no coincidence; they are a direct result of the consistent performance of Dutch referees in previous years. This scenario reveals the strict separation that FIFA applies between sporting performance of national teams and the quality of arbitration.
