VNL 2023: Controversial Referee Decision in Türkiye vs Netherlands Match

In the second match of June 14 in VNL 2023, Türkiye defeated Netherlands in straight sets (31-29, 25-21, 25-15) that saw a controversial decision by the referee during set point in the second set.

The first set was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with neither team taking a lead of more than two points throughout the set. Both teams had opportunities to win the set, but it was Türkiye who ultimately came out on top with a score of 31-29.

In the second set, Netherlands started strong and took a 6-point lead at 15-9. However, Türkiye fought back and quickly leveled the score at 16-16. The two teams continued to trade points until Türkiye pulled ahead and won the set 25-21. At 24-21, the referee made a controversial decision to give the point to Türkiye. Turkish player İlkin Aydın was spotted with her hands blocking the ball when the ball is still on Netherlands’ side, with Netherlands setter Sarah van Aalen setting the ball. Netherlands coach Felix Koslowski and team captain Kirsten Knip both attempted to communicate with the referee, but the decision stood.

In the third set, Türkiye dominated from the start and never looked back. They took an early lead and continued to build on it, eventually winning the set 25-15 to secure their fourth victory.

In the post-match interview, Netherlands team captain Kirsten Knip expressed her disappointment with the controversial decision made by the referee, describing it as “weird”. She believed that the decision cost her team the opportunity to level the points and win the set. The referee told her team that they cannot challenge during the rally, but Knip mentioned that they have asked for the challenge after the rally, and she felt that the challenge should have been allowed. However, she acknowledged that her team could have performed better in the first and second sets to secure the win.

Netherlands team captain Kirsten Knip also highlighted the need for her team to work on finishing games, as they had come close to winning several times but failed to convert those opportunities into victories. She also mentioned that the team was still adjusting to playing with different players, as the team composition had changed from the previous week.

With this win, Türkiye has a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, while Netherlands is yet to win a match after playing 5 matches.

(Reported by Boris CHUNG Bok Man)