Former great footballer Michael Ballack expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment Romania received in the match against the Netherlands in the EURO 2024 round of 16.
Ballack stated that Romania was disadvantaged by the refereeing from the beginning of the match, when they should have been awarded a penalty after the tackle on Ianis Hagi, who was hit in the head with an elbow.
"The contact was not punished, not even reviewed. Probably because it happened right before the end of the half. For me, it's a situation that should have been at least analyzed. It's clear!" Ballack said on Magenta TV.
Additionally, Ballack mentioned that the match should have been stopped before Romania conceded the 3-0 goal.
"The goalkeeper kicks out one of the shoes that are in the middle of the box. We don't know exactly how they got there. It's actually crazy that they are on the field and especially that the game was not interrupted.
It's a strange situation. If there are objects on the field, the game should be stopped. Why the VAR doesn't intervene is another question, because that is actually the rule," Ballack added.
It's worth mentioning that the Romanian national team was eliminated in the EURO 2024 round of 16 after being defeated by the Netherlands with a score of 3-0.
For the national team, there is a break until September, when we will play the matches in the Nations League. We are in a group with Kosovo, Cyprus, and Lithuania.
It remains to be seen if Romania will still have Edi Iordănescu on the bench. The coach asked for a few days off, and then will discuss with the Romanian Football Federation.