Referee Kooij says he regretted stopping Twente attack against Ajax

Referee Joey Kooij said he regretted stopping a promising FC Twente attack during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Ajax, after he heard that video assistant referee Dennis Higler was checking a possible handball by Wout Weghorst. Kooij said he saw the footage differently and did not award Ajax a penalty at that point; Twente were angry that the interruption had halted their attack.

“I really regretted this,” Kooij told ESPN after the match. He said he had heard the VAR call for him to stop play, but accepted that he should have waited “two or three seconds longer” before doing so.

Ajax were leading 2-1 when play was stopped. In stoppage time, Kooij did not initially spot defender Lucas Rosa pulling Ramiz Zerrouki’s shirt. After Higler asked him to review the incident at the pitchside monitor, Kooij awarded a penalty, which Weghorst converted to level the score.