REFEREES from Netherlands

Top 2

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Dutch Referees of all time. This list of famous Dutch Referees is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Björn Kuipers (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 50.69, Björn Kuipers is the most famous Dutch Referee.  His biography has been translated into 43 different languages on wikipedia.

Björn Kuipers (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbjʏrəŋ ˈkœypərs; ˈbjʏrn -]; born 28 March 1973) is a former Dutch football referee. He has been a FIFA listed referee from 2006 to 2021 and an UEFA Elite group referee from 2009 to 2021. He was assisted during international matches by Sander van Roekel and Erwin Zeinstra. A supermarket owner by occupation, Kuipers has officiated at two World Cups and three European Championship tournaments. It was announced on 29 July 2021 that Kuipers would be retiring from refereeing, officiating his final match between Ajax and PSV on 7 August in the 2021 Johan Cruyff Shield.

2. Pieter Vink (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 33.89, Pieter Vink is the 2nd most famous Dutch Referee.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Pieter Vink (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpitər ˈvɪŋk], born 13 March 1967) is a former Dutch football referee, who also officiated for FIFA and UEFA. He was the first referee to take charge of a match at the "New Wembley Stadium" in 2007. His other occupation was as a police officer, eventually giving this up to become a full-time referee. His main other hobby is golf.