Bas Nijhuis will no longer be an international referee after this calendar year. Last summer, the arbitrator came into conflict with UEFA, which according to him had problems with his performances in the summer talk show De Oranjezomer. Nijhuis subsequently requested that his career as an international referee be ended, as a result of which he will no longer whistle European duels from 2022.
Last summer Nijhuis was a regular at De Oranjezomer, the daily talk show of Wilfred Genee, Johan Derksen and René van der Gijp. “We had a nice summer, and after that summer I suddenly heard: ‘Yes, Bas, UEFA was not really happy that you were at De Oranjezomer’,” explains Nijhuis on Monday. Veronica Inside. “I said: ‘Why, it’s like UEFA is looking at that.’ “No, they weren’t really happy you were there.” I said: ‘That’s fine, but if there is something, UEFA will call me.’ Well, so I wait, then the first appointments for the Champions League and Europa League came: no matches.”
Nijhuis then took action. “I thought: What is that, no competitions? I am then someone who calls immediately. Well, maybe that doesn’t go well, but I immediately called Roberto Rosetti, our referee boss. I said, ‘I don’t have a competition, how can that be? I also hear that it plays a role that I’ve been on TV, is that so?’ ‘Yeah, you know, UEFA policy is not for the camera’ (yes, you know, UEFA policy is not to appear in front of the camera, ed.). I said: ‘No, but in the Netherlands we always do it that way, even after matches. blah blah blah. But if it causes a problem, you have to say so now, because I can only do it internationally for one more year (because of his age, ed.), then I will stop internationally right now.”
This marked the end of his career as an international arbitrator. Then Rosetti said: ‘No, Bas, please send me an e-mail.’ I did, but never got an answer. Then I heard: ‘Then you won’t get any nice matches anymore.’ And then I thought: then they will all send me to lesser matches with observers who will give me bad marks, and then I contacted Dick van Egmond (coordinator referee affairs at the KNVB, ed.). He had to make a new nomination for international referees, because Björn Kuipers had to be replaced. I said: ‘Get me off too, because I’m really going to get those lesser matches.’ So from the new year I will no longer be an international referee.”
Derksen suggests that ‘from Zeist’, possibly by other Dutch referees, it was leaked that Nijhuis was on TV last summer, because UEFA will not watch Dutch TV itself. Nijhuis cannot confirm whether this is the case.