Premier League icon fumes at ‘scandalous’ error as team fields 12 players

Heerenveen manager Robin van Persie was left seething after a rival team were allowed to field 12 players against his side in an Eredivisie match.

The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker began his managerial career last summer with Dutch club Heerenveen and was on course to earn a much needed win on Saturday.

His side were 2-1 up against mid-table rivals Fortuna Sittard in the 88th minute when an ‘unthinkable’ incident occurred.

In an effort to save the game, Fortuna made a double substitution with Darijo Grujcic and Owen Johnson subbed on for Ryan Fosso and Jasper Dahlhaus – only Dahlhaus didn’t come off the pitch.

Instead the game proceeded with Fortuna playing with 12 men for nearly a minute, with Van Persie wildly protesting to the match officials before they took notice of what happened.

Dahlhaus was eventually hauled off but just seconds later – to add insult to injury – Fortuna snatched a late equaliser with the match ending 2-2.

‘I find what preceded that goal very special,’ a furious Van Perise said after full-time.

‘Fortuna Sittard had 12 men on the field for a minute before that throw-in. Apparently that is allowed and possible. You can’t imagine that? That it is simply allowed.

‘Normally I never talk to referees and always let them do their job, but it can’t be that they play with twelve men. That’s unthinkable.

‘So I asked the fourth official: ‘Shouldn’t you do something about that?'”

Asked what he would like to see happen, the Dutchman replied: ‘For example, reverse that goal. You can’t play with twelve men against eleven.

‘I really can’t understand that. I think this is really scandalous.’

One of the great strikers of his generation, Van Persie was a hero at Arsenal, scoring 132 goals in 278 appearances before making a controversial transfer to United in 2012.

He spent three seasons at Old Trafford, finding the back of the net 58 times and firing United to their latest Premier League title, and he is also the Netherlands’ all-time top goalscorer.

His career in the dugout is off to a solid start with Heerenveen 10th in Eredivisie though they have won just one of their last eight games in all competitions.

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