Björn Kuipers: ‘As a referee you get criticised, no matter how well you’ve whistled’
My personal style signifier is simplicity. I’m a traditional man. I think it’s important to always dress for the occasion, but I don’t want to stand out. My closet is mostly filled with white shirts and blue or grey jackets. I really don’t care about brands, but I do care about where I shop. Most of my clothes are from small businesses in my hometown Oldenzaal, in the eastern part of The Netherlands. The owners are customers in my supermarkets and I think it’s important to support each other as entrepreneurs.
The last thing I bought and loved was an electric bike. My wife had wanted one for a while, but I wasn’t ready yet. I thought those things were for old people – I’m only 49! But now I truly enjoy my Trek bike. Since I no longer officiate matches on weekends, my wife and I love going for 50km rides on Sunday mornings. trekbikes.com
On my wishlist is free time. Since I retired from refereeing I have more control over my time, but I still don’t allow myself enough time off from my business. I would love to spend an entire day at home – I can’t even remember the last time that happened. I look forward to simple things, like working in the garden. My grandfather started our family business of supermarkets over 80 years ago and I grew up in a family where working hard was the norm. My dad is still not good at enjoying free time. When he retired I encouraged him to buy himself something nice and he ended up getting a convertible. But he barely drives it. He’s 75 and still comes by the business every day.
Some of his collection of football shirts © Raimond Wouda
The match ball from the Euro 2020 final, which Kuipers kept © Raimond Wouda
I have a collection of many, many football shirts. I keep most of them in my home gym. The ones I wore during special matches are framed and hanging in my office, including the Confederations Cup final of 2013 and the Champions League final of 2014.
The best book I’ve read in the past year is Sooley, the latest John Grisham, which I read by the pool during our holiday to Sicily right after the Euro final. Reading thrillers is a good way for me to relax.
The last meal that truly impressed me was at Ristorante pizzeria San Vito in Mazara del Vallo, Sicily. We’ve been going to Sicily for a couple of years now, and I thought I knew all the nice restaurants in the area. But this year the woman who cleaned our hotel rooms recommended this place. We were hesitant when we arrived and saw the rusty nameplate. But the people were incredible. So warm! So generous! We asked the chef to surprise us and he prepared a table full of fish dishes to share and it was unbelievable. Plus: there were barely any tourists. Lungomare S. Vito 125, 91026 Mazara del Vallo, Italy
The firepit in his garden © Raimond Wouda
A collection of football scarves and match pennants © Raimond Wouda
An object I would never part with doesn’t exist. I’m too down to earth to care that much about anything. Of course I invest in things I find important: we live in a comfortable house, we have a holiday home in Friesland and I drive a nice Mercedes. But I honestly couldn’t tell you if it’s a GLE or a GLC.
The gadget I couldn’t do without is my MacBook Air, which is the only gadget I carry with me now. As a referee, I had many gadgets that made my work easier: a watch that vibrated when the ball crossed the goal line, for example.
Marco van Basten during the European Championship final between Netherlands and USSR at the Olympia Stadium, June 25, 1988 in Munich, Germany © VI Images via Getty Images
I’m not the type of person who idolises people, but when I still played football myself I was a fan of legendary Dutch player Marco van Basten. We’ve now occasionally worked together when he has worked for Fifa. When he came to my house for a meeting in 2017, I couldn’t stop wondering what my younger self would think of that.
The grooming ritual I never skip is going to the hair studio I own every three weeks to make sure my hair always looks decent. That’s about all the effort I put into my appearance. haarstudio-oldenzaal.nl
A cause close to my heart is the Emma Children’s Hospital in Amsterdam. I recently auctioned the whistle I used at every match for the last seven years – a gift from Japanese top referee Yuichi Nishimura – and raised more than €10,000 for them. [email protected]
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Faqs of Insurances
