Football icon’s son slammed for ‘assassination try’ that left star hospitalised
The son of a football icon has been accused of an ‘assassination attempt’ after a horror tackle left an opponent hospitalised over the weekend
Ruben van Bommel was slammed for the horror tackle(Image: ESPN)
The son of a Champions League victor has been slammed for an “assassination attempt” after igniting a brawl with a horror tackle during a match in the Netherlands.
Ruben van Bommel, son of Dutch icon Mark, was playing for his dad’s former club PSV Eindhoven when he clattered into Aaron Bouwman, during a 3-1 loss. The shocking challenge triggered a chaotic scuffle with as they contested a loose ball.
Van Bommel crashed into his counterpart, seemingly making no effort to play the ball. The collision sent Bouwman sprawling across the turf, leaving him in a heap and inciting a heated response from several Ajax players.
Ruben van Bommel’s tackle was branded as an assassination attempt(Image: ESPN)
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Van Bommel found himself seized and jostled by numerous opponents as tempers flared while Bouwman writhed in pain on the pitch, reports the Express.
Ajax’s goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was visibly concerned as he hurried over and immediately signalled for medical assistance for his teammate.
Meanwhile, nearly every other Ajax player on the pitch made a dash for Van Bommel, with several substitutes even bolting from the bench to join the fracas.
Aaron Bouwman was rushed to hospital(Image: ESPN)
The referee attempted to position himself at the heart of the scuffle in a bid to defuse the situation, before the players finally dispersed.
To the astonishment of many spectators in the stadium, Van Bommel was merely shown a yellow card, with VAR opting not to step in.
Ajax later released a statement confirming that Bouwman had been hospitalised and would be out of action for at least a month.
The tackle has been slammed(Image: ESPN)
They stated: “Aaron Bouwman will not be in action again during the month of September. Examinations showed that Bouwman suffered several injuries, including bruising to his sternum and a bruised lung. He remains in hospital on Sunday for observation.”
Dutch pundit Hugo Borst was left fuming and suggested that Van Bommel was extremely lucky to avoid a red card, drawing parallels with his father’s hard-hitting style of play.
Speaking on ESPN talk show De Eretribune, Borst declared: “This was an assassination attempt. Ruben van Bommel is genetically tainted by Mark. This is a huge mistake by VAR. They should have intervened here. This is clearly red.
“I have already spoken with head of refereeing Raymond van Meenen. He will not try to dress this up. He agrees that this was a red card for Ruben van Bommel and a wrong decision.”
