Former football referee Jan Keizer (84), active in several final tournaments, passed away

Former top referee Jan Keizer has passed away at the age of 84. De Volendammer was one of the best Dutch referees in the 1970s and 1980s and refereed at several international tournaments.

Keizer, who played for FC Volendam as a youth football player, had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years and spent his last years in a nursing home in Volendam.

Although Keizer had been refereeing international matches since the 1970s, he was assigned the largest posters in the 1980s. He officiated at the 1984 European Championships, 1986 World Cup and the 1984 Olympic Games, where he refereed the final. In 1988, Keizer was a referee at the second final of the UEFA Cup.

In 2001, Keizer was honored by the world football association FIFA for his services as a referee and received the Referees’ Special Award.