Kali becomes first player to be sent off by video referee

Willem II midfielder Anouar Kali made history on Wednesday as he became the first player to be sent off by the video assistant referee in his side’s 5-0 KNVB Beker defeat at the hands of Ajax.

Wednesday’s encounter at the Amsterdam ArenA was the first competitive game involving a video assistant referee and the experiment immediately paid off as Danny Makkelie dismissed Kali at video official Pol van Boekel’s advice.

Kali initially seemed to escape with a booking after a reckless foul on Lasse Schone in midfield, only for the match official to pull out a red moments later after speaking to his video assistant.

“I asked Pol whether he was 100 per cent sure and he did not have any doubts. It’s a clear decision then,” Makkelie explained.

“The video footage speaks for itself. This is one of those moments where a video referee proves to be very useful.”

Van Boekel, meanwhile, explained that he watched a number of replays before advising Makkelie to dismiss Kali.

“I immediately thought ‘ouch’ after I saw the tackle,” Van Boekel stated.

“I watched the foul again a number of times from various angles and reached the conclusion that it was definitely a red card.

“Had I had the chance to see the foul like that on the pitch, I would have given a red card.”