The game between Serbia and Portugal was 2-2 in added time when Ronaldo thought he made the 3-2 for his country. The replays showed that Ronaldo's ball went over the goal line, but both Makkelie and Diks, who was assistant referee on that side, did not see it. In addition, there was no video assistant referee and no goal-line technology, keeping the score 2-2. Ronald expressed his anger at both Makkelie and Diks, with the latter remaining calm when the Portuguese was shouting at a meter in front of him.
That incident has gotten an unpleasant tail for Diks. As a result, he will not go to the European Championship, while that was expected. It was only a matter of waiting for the final announcement of the UEFA. Together with Steegstra, Diks was one of Makkelie's permanent assistants. They have refereed several international matches in recent years, such as the final of the Europa League in 2020 and the semi-final of the Club World Cup at the beginning of this year. "This is a very, very big disappointment for me just before the European Championship. On Wednesday, 31 March, I was told by Makkelie that he will continue with another assistant, because the confidence in our cooperation has gone. I really hoped for more support, understanding and trust after the successful collaboration in recent years", said Diks.
Diks's replacement will be Jan de Vries. "Jan de Vries has taken over the position of Mario Diks in our team. It is a team affair. Out of respect for Mario, but also in the interest of the team, we will not make any statements about the reason for the change", confirmed Makkelie. The European Championship is scheduled to start on 11 June and the final is a month later, on 11 July 2021.
Source: Omrop Fryslan