Danny Makkelie will take charge of Al-Hilal against Al-Fayha on Thursday at Al-Majmaah Sports City Stadium, a return that puts the Dutch referee back in the middle of one of the Saudi Roshn League’s more closely watched fixtures. Hessel Steegstra and Jan de Vries will assist him, with Ivan Bebek on VAR and Mohammed Abu Shukara as the fourth official.
The appointment matters because Makkelie has already handled eight Al-Hilal matches between 2018 and 2025, and this one will be his ninth. In those eight games, Al-Hilal won four, drew two and lost two, a split that leaves supporters with plenty of recent memories to sort through before kickoff.
That history includes both a trophy and two defeats. Al-Hilal beat Al-Faisaly on penalties in the 2022 Saudi Super Cup final under Makkelie, but they also lost 5-0 to Al-Taawoun in the semi-final of the 2019 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup and fell 2-1 to Fluminense in the quarter-final of the FIFA Club World Cup in his last match with them.
Makkelie has overseen just one match so far this season, Utrecht against AZ Alkmaar in the second round of the Dutch league, which helps explain why his next major appointment is drawing attention. Arriyadiyah reported the assignment, and the timing gives Al-Hilal another contest under a referee whose record with the club has been mixed rather than straightforward.
The immediate test comes on Thursday, when Al-Hilal meet Al-Fayha at Al-Majmaah Sports City Stadium in the opening fixture of the second round of the Saudi Roshn League. What makes the assignment notable is not simply that Makkelie is back, but that his past with Al-Hilal already includes a title, a heavy loss and the club’s FIFA Club World Cup exit.
