Robin van Persie was outraged by an officiating error that saw his Heerenveen side play against 12 men.
Their Eredivisie clash against Fortuna Sittard finished as a 2-2 draw following a moment of controversy regarding a substitution.
Heerenveen led 2-1 on 88 minutes when Fortuna brought on Darijo Grujcic and Owen Johnson for Ryan Fosso and Jasper Dahlhaus.
However, Dahlhaus did not make his way off the pitch as instructed and continued playing for another minute.
Van Persie quickly realised that Fortuna were fielding 12 men on the pitch as opposed to football’s long-standing limit of 11.
The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker complained on the touchline before Dahlhaus went off.
Fortuna equalised just moments after, with Van Persie expressing his anger over the short but prohibited one-man advantage.
“I find what preceded that goal very special,” he said in a post-match interview via ESPN. “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 12 men.
“That’s unthinkable. So I asked the fourth official, ‘Shouldn’t you do something about that?’”
Van Persie then suggested what should have happened by adding: “For example, reverse that goal. You can’t play with 12 men against 11.
“I really can’t understand that. I think this is really scandalous.”
Heerenveen are Van Persie’s first club in management following after an assistant coach spell at his former side Feyenoord.
The Dutchman became their head coach in May 2024 but has faced a tough first season in charge with nine wins from 24 matches.
Van Persie’s fourth match in charge saw them lose 9-1 to AZ Alkmaar in what was a league record defeat for Heerenveen.
However, they currently sit 10th in the Dutch Eredivisie and are eight points clear of the relegation zone after the draw against Fortuna.