Orange PicturesScheidsrechter Jan Smit
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 21:07
Referee Jan Smit from Opmeer is never allowed to referee another match by the KNVB football association after he celebrated last Sunday with the winning team of the match that he had led just before.
The championship match in the fourth division was won last weekend by St. George from Spierdijk. The referee handed out four red cards to opponent SV De Valken. Three red cards were for players, one was for the coach.
The 61-year-old referee added 15 minutes of injury time. During this extra playing time, the St. George goalkeeper scored the equalizer that sealed the championship for the club from Spierdijk.
NH NewsThe referee held up the championship bowl
When the champagne was subsequently uncorked, the referee himself hosted and sang along on stage. Smit – who is also a singer – then performed the Dutch hit Guardian Angel by Marco Schuitmaker.
The referee himself says that he was not celebrating the win with the players. “I only sang a song and held up the bowl once. That’s all. I find it too sad for words that the KNVB is therefore removing me,” he says in a response to NH.
However, the action did not go down well with opponent SV De Valken. The club filed a complaint with the Football Association. “Others must judge whether it is normal for a referee to exuberantly celebrate St. George’s deserved championship after the match,” the club wrote in a statement.
KNVB response
The KNVB says it has received several complaints about Smit’s action. “This morning we called Mr. Smit and told him that he is no longer allowed to referee matches. We expect a neutral attitude from a referee and that both teams are treated with respect. This attitude is of course not part of that,” said KNVB spokesperson Daan Schippers. .
The referee was also reprimanded once by the football association in 2021 for “improper behavior”. The KNVB gave him a second chance a year later. “This was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back,” the spokesperson said.
Smit calls that “laughable”. “The KNVB has not done any research and only watched one video. I assume that the whistling is now over, but I will no longer get on my knees like I did two years ago,” said Smit.
2024-05-14 19:07:37
#Referee #celebrated #winning #team #blow #whistle #KNVB
