Dutch referee Shona Shukrula has announced she is officially with footballer Jeff Hardeveld, after the pair first met in an unusual way.
Shukrula officiates in the Dutch second tier, where Hardeveld is a player for FC Emmen and the 30-year-old referee was on fourth official duty for the clash between Emmen and FC Eindhoven on 13 August 2021. Unfortunately for Hardeveld, he was sent-off in a 1-0 defeat, but must have caught the eye of Shukrula as he trudged past her and down the tunnel. Dutch publication Telegraaf report that is where the pair first met. They must have hit it off fairly quickly as Hardeveld put the disappointment of being given his marching orders behind him. Now the sporty couple have announced that they are officially together, while on a romantic New Year's getaway in Rome. Shukrula wrote on Instagram: "It’s official @jeffhardeveld," with a picture of the happy couple embracing. Hardeveld also posted a picture to Instagram, but kept the caption short and sweet to '2022' with a star and love heart emoji.
Shukrula has been refereeing for the KNVB (Dutch FA) since the 2009/10 season and became a FIFA referee in 2017. Then in 2020 she began fourth official duties in the Dutch second division, where she met Hardeveld. He meanwhile progressed through the ranks at Feyenoord as a youngster, before spending time with fellow Dutch outfits Utrecht and Heracles Almelo. The left-back has been capped once at Netherlands U-21 level, but is yet to really establish himself as a Dutch top division player.
Source: The Sun