On Wednesday evening, Germany will face Hungary at the MHPArena in Stuttgart. However, there is controversy surrounding Danny Makkelie, the referee in charge of the match.
UEFA appointed the Dutch referee on Monday, who will now be officiating his third match involving the German national team. Makkelie was previously in charge of Germany’s 2-0 defeat to England at Euro 2020, as well as their 2-2 draw against Spain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Nevertheless, despite Makkelie’s experience—having been a registered FIFA referee since 2011—controversy and accusations of arrogance have consistently followed him around. When Borussia Dortmund faced Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16 in 2023, those connected with Die Schwarzgelben were not best pleased with the Dutchman’s performance.
Dortmund’s advisor, Matthias Sammer, described Makkelie as a “very, very arrogant person.” At the same time, CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke felt that the 41-year-old “wanted to be the most important man on the pitch.”
As well as this, German national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann has also had his issues with the official, whom he blamed for RB Leipzig’s 1-0 defeat to PSG in the Champions League group stages in 2020. Nagelsmann remarked that “the penalty was a joke. Something like that at Champions League level, that’s really sad,” after he believed Marcel Sabitzer failed to touch Ángel Di María inside the penalty box.
However, it is not just with German sides that Makkelie’s performances have been questioned. When England faced Denmark in the semi-finals of Euro 2020, he awarded England a dubious penalty that was later deemed correct by the UEFA Referees’ Committee.
Regardless, if the Dutchman were not considered one of Europe’s most capable referees, he would not be officiating at the tournament. When considering the number of games Makkelie has performed without any allegations or mistakes, it is evident that he is just as consistent as any other official at Euro 2024.
GGFN | Will Shopland
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