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Maybe you can still remember it, but you just can't remember the name.
The Dutch referee who whistled at the 2016 European Championship was Björn Kuipers.
He had whistled no fewer than three games in the tournament, and for a moment it looked like he was a contender for the final whistle. Unfortunately, he did not receive that honor.
What we discuss in this comprehensive post:
The referees at the semi-finals of the European Championship 2016
The semi-finals have already been whistled by two other referees:
- the Swedish Jonas Eriksson
- the Italian Nicola Rizzoli
Eriksson accompanied the Portugal v Wales match.
Rizzoli oversaw the France v Germany match.
Which matches did Kuipers whistle at the European Championship 2016?
Björn Kuipers had the pleasure of whistling no less than three matches:
- Croatia against Spain (2-1)
- Germany v Poland (0-0)
- France against Iceland (5-2)
Kuipers was certainly not a rookie before that. The last game, France against Iceland, was his 112th international match and his fifth European Championship game.
Who whistled the final at the Euro 2016 between France and Portugal?
In the end it was the English Mark Clattenburg who was allowed to supervise the final match with his team.
His team consisted of almost a complete English composition
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Assistant Referees: Simon Beck, Jake Collin
Fourth man: Viktor Kassai
Fifth and Sixth Man: Anthony Taylor, Andre Marriner
Reserve Assistant Referee: György Ring
Only Viktor Kassai and György Ring had been added to the otherwise all-English team.
Portugal eventually won 1-0 against France and became the champion of the tournament.
Such a tournament can only be led if you follow the rules correctly. Take our referee quiz for fun, or to test your knowledge.
The career of Björn Kuipers
After the whistle at the European Championship 2016, Kuipers did not stand still. He whistle cheerfully and is even at the 2018 World Cup at the age of 45.
It is a real Oldenzaler. Since his childhood he has played at the club Quick in the place, and later in life he runs the local Jumbo supermarket.
At the age of 15 he had already started his football career in the B1 of Quick and already commented a lot and often on how the game was run. It will take until 2005 until he finally whistles his first match in the premier league: Vitesse against Willem II. A big milestone in his career.
(source: ANP)
Then it is 2006 when he whistles an international match for the first time. The match between Russia and Bulgaria. He comes to attention and gets more and more prominent matches to whistle.
In 2009 (January 14) he ends up in the highest division of the European Football Association. Kuipers is making a name for himself and that has not gone unnoticed. After being assigned smaller international matches for a few years, he can finally whistle at the European Championship 2012.
In 2013 he is assigned the final of the Europa League. between Chelsea and Benfica Lisbon. That will be his start in many top international events.
(source: ANP)
In 2014, for example, he already landed a few nice matches and he is allowed to go to the World Cup. Then comes, as icing on the cake, the final of the Champions League: Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid. A bit of a strange match because he immediately breaks a record: no less than 12 yellow cards in a Champions League final. A huge amount for every match, and never seen in a final like this.
At the World Cup in Brazil, he already just missed the whistle for the final. This is because the Netherlands reached the semi-finals and the chances were lost. Also at the final in the 2018 World Cup it became the Argentinian Néstor Fabián Pitana, but Björn Kuipers was able to participate in the referee team as fourth man, and thus reached a World Cup final.
Also read: these are the best referee books that give a good insight into how things work
