“So ugly that he is not allowed to play”: TV commentator insults Besiktas professional Vida
Scandal on Dutch television: Besiktas defender Vida was insulted by a TV commentator.
The Dutch TV commentator Sierd de Vos caused a scandal at the Champions League game between Besiktas and Ajax Amsterdam with an insulting statement about Domagoj Vida.
“Besiktas has applied for an exception so that Vida can play. He is so ugly that he is usually not allowed to play because children are watching,” de Vos began his broadcast on the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport.
Outrage in the Netherlands over insulting Besiktas professional Vida
The comment by the commentator, who is known in the Netherlands for his controversial manner, sparked violent reactions in Vida’s Croatian homeland. “Why is he doing this job? What a scandalous appearance of the commentator,” wrote the sports platform Gol. “Ajax’s win was overshadowed by a disgraceful performance by Sierd de Vos.”
The broadcaster initially posted an excerpt from the comment on Twitter, but the tweet was later deleted. De Vos himself initially did not comment on his questionable choice of words.
Insult to Besiktas’ Vida may have a history
De Vos’ verbal derailment may have a history – if not an immediate one. The 32-year-old Vida is also known as the “wink Croatian” in the Netherlands. The nickname refers to an incident ten years ago.
In December 2011 Ajax Amsterdam was eliminated from the group stage because Olympique Lyon won 7-1 after a 0-1 break deficit against Dinamo Zagreb in the parallel game and thus solved the ticket for the knockout phase due to the better goal difference.
The then Dinamo defender winked at the orienteering striker Bafetimbi Gomis after the French scored the fifth goal and raised his thumb when he tried to get the ball. The Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant then raised suspicions of match-fixing.