Joey Veerman receives a big compliment from PSV after his ban for his interview

Joey Veerman has received a lot of appreciation for his candid reaction after losing the Johan Cruijff Shield to AZ 0-4. The PSV midfielder, who early in the match struck Mexx Meerdink in the head with his studs and received a red card for it, said afterwards to ESPN that he understands the referee’s decision. He also expressed his condolences to AZ’s striker.

Veerman saw his match end after nine minutes. Referee Serdar Gözübüyük received advice from VAR Pol van Boekel to review the footage again and then decided to send off the PSV midfielder. According to Veerman, there was no question of intent.

"I did have the idea right away that I would be sent off," says Veerman. "He makes a kind of movement with his head to the left. I quickly put my foot down, but I do feel that I put my pin behind his ear and that I hit him. So then I already thought: yes, he’ll probably give a red card. And that’s what happened."

The Volendammer said that he was taking a red card into account right away. At the same time, he had the impression that Gözübüyük did not make the decision with conviction. "I could also tell from Serdar that he actually didn’t want to give it to him, because I think he thought I’d lightly touched him. And yes, that was basically true, because it wasn’t like I really drove into him fully. But I also felt kind of sorry for Meerdink, though, because he was lying there shaking on the pitch. He had a hefty goosebump behind his ear."

Afterwards, Veerman visibly sympathized with his opponent, who lay on the pitch looking badly shaken. "He really had pain", Veerman noticed. "I did think it was kind of sad, yes. I just put my pin behind his ear. You can also see it in my reaction right away: this was not a nice touch, so to speak."

The midfielder also said that he went straight after the incident to Meerdink to reassure him. "I was trying to keep him calm a bit, because I could tell he was a little panicked. I understand that too, because if it had been the other way around, I would have been as well. But anyway, let me emphasize that, in my view, everyone has seen that this was absolutely not the intention. It was also my first red card in my career. I just wanted to poke the ball away. It was very unfortunate. I hope his wound heals quickly."

Veerman's honest explanation earned him a lot of positive reactions. On social media, his open attitude was praised and at the table on ESPN too, appreciation was heard. "Good response", presenter Milan van Dongen said. Kenneth Perez then added a wink: "Would Paredes have given this response as well?" Marciano Vink was also complimentary about the PSV player. According to the analyst, Veerman is "always honest and sincere". "It’s all also true what he says. A great guy."