Euro 2024: Hungary manager Marco Rossi criticizes ‘inconsistent’ refereeing by Danny Makkelie following loss to Germany.
Hungary manager Marco Rossi expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating during his team’s 2-0 loss to Germany in their Euro 2024 match. This defeat puts Hungary on the verge of elimination from the group stage, with a crucial game against Scotland looming on Sunday.
Rossi was particularly frustrated with the decision not to award a foul from Ilkay Gundogan in the build-up to Germany’s opening goal, scored by Jamal Musiala. The Italian coach believed that the referee, Danny Makkelie, displayed a double standard by later awarding a free-kick to Robert Anrich, which Rossi felt was similar to the earlier incident.
In Rossi’s words, “What the referee did tonight, it’s a double standard. From my perspective, Germany would have won anyway, they’re stronger than us, but the referee was the worst on the pitch. Germany didn’t need help from the referee, especially against a team like Hungary. When they play against someone like France, let’s see if a foul will be given or not.”
Ilkay Gundogan, the Barcelona midfielder, was surprised by the reaction of the Hungarian players to the incident that gave Germany the lead. He stated, “I was quite surprised the Hungary players were angry about it. I don’t know what it looked like on TV, but I played in the Premier League for seven years and if they gave that in the Premier League, everyone would have been laughing on the floor.”
With Scotland’s Scott McTominay scoring an equalizer against Switzerland, the upcoming match between Scotland and Hungary has become a must-win game for both teams. Only a victory for Rossi’s side will secure third place and a possible qualification for the last 16.
Rossi’s message to his players will be centered on their effort rather than their quality. He stated, “We will try everything to win. Our fans want to see on the pitch that we are spitting blood. I don’t ask our guys to win, to score goals. I just ask them to give their maximum.”