Evert ten Apel has been a football commentator for decades, but on weekends he is also a referee in amateur football, where he regularly has to deal with rebellious players and meddling parents. “Look, I shit on everything. I don’t care if they think I’m the worst referee. They just shouldn’t call me a home whistler.”
Ten Apel is still a regular referee on the fields of nearby clubs, such as EFC’58, DVS’33 or FC Horst. There, the 78-year-old Ermeloër whistles for both youth and seniors and is regularly compared to Bas Nijhuis. “Do you know that I have never given a red card?”, says Ten Apel in an interview with the General Newspaper. “You can’t and shouldn’t always whistle according to the rules.
“Yes, they already call me Bas Nijhuis”, the ViaPlay commentator chuckles. Nijhuis is regularly accused of letting the game continue too often, while serious violations are committed. “I am sometimes accused of that,” says Ten Apel. “But I do that consciously. Don’t get me wrong: if I have to, I whistle five times in a minute. But then you take all the tempo out of the game. You just want to play football, right? Have fun.”
As a referee in amateur football, Ten Apel regularly has to deal with rebellious players or meddling parents. “Yes, that can sometimes cause hassle and hassle. I just walk to the side and give the whistle to such a father. Then they are quiet. It’s a matter of experience and how you are put together, as a person.” Ten Apel says he doesn’t give a shit about everything. “I don’t care if they think I’m the worst referee. They recently shouted that at the fourth of FC Batavia from Lelystad, after the duel with the fourth of EFC’58. I have no problem with that. They just shouldn’t call me a home whistler.”