A Dutch court has convicted six young footballers and one player's father of the manslaughter of a volunteer linesman who was attacked after a youth match in December.

Judges in Lelystad sentenced the 50-year-old father, identified only as El-Hasan D, to six years in prison. Five teenage players were given two-year sentences in youth detention for their roles in the attack and another was sentenced to a year. A seventh player, aged 15, was sentenced to 30 days' detention for assault.

All the defendants had insisted they were innocent. They have two weeks to appeal. Their lawyers argued that the linesman, Richard Nieuwenhuizen, had an underlying medical condition that contributed to his death, but forensic experts said he died as a result of the beating.

Judges said the players acted together in the fatal beating, and gave them the highest sentences available. "The seriousness of the event, the lack of a clear reason for it, the terrible consequences, the fact that they haven't accepted responsibility for their acts and the enormous shock it caused throughout society and the entire football world meant that the minors received the maximum possible sentence," the court said in a statement.

It said the father had received a heavy punishment because "instead of setting a good example to the youths by criticizing their behaviour he joined them in kicking and beating the linesman and has never accepted responsibility" for his actions.

The attack took place on 2 December in the city of Almere, after the home team Buitenboys drew 2-2 with Nieuw Sloten, which is based in a mostly immigrant neighbourhood of Amsterdam.

Nieuwenhuizen, 41, officiated in the match in which his son played. Initially he seemed to recover from the attack and shrugged off questions about whether he would file a complaint, but he collapsed later and died in hospital the following day.

His death triggered a bout of soul-searching in Dutch football and beyond about the loss of respect for sports officials among youth players. "You can't imagine it happening," said the Ajax coach, Frank de Boer. "That boys of 15, 16 years short-circuit like that. You wonder about the parenting."

More than 12,000 people attended a silent march for Nieuwenhuizen in Almere on 9 December. The national football association chairman, Michael van Praag, said at a ceremony afterwards: "What can I do to teach today's football youth the difference between anger and aggression?. Football is emotion, but it's also winning and losing. You have to be able to do both, otherwise you don't fit in our sport."

Nieuwenhuizen's sons said on Monday they hoped the convictions would send a message around the world that such attacks should not be tolerated in sport.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/seven-convicted-dutch-linesman-manslaughter


This is one of the things that mass immigration has caused. This is one of the reasons I am against immigration in the country! I really do not care what people say. The truth is most of the crimmes happening now are down to the minority that have been immigrating into the country. Disgrace after disgrace. You try to stop it and people label you. I am fed up with this. Last year my friend got stabbed outside a club by a group of immigrants. We have been visiting this club for 9 years. I am just fed up with it but pandoras box has been opened. It is time for us to suffer.

2 years...


wtf this is just a f*cking joke.


Taking a mans life, and not having any actual reason to even want to do so.


Death penalty would be more appropriate.

Giggity5313 wrote:Yeah, way to blame the minority morrocans

I guess afellay is a killer too?

well , he did kill his career by going to barcelona...

2 years? What a joke.

Giggity5313 wrote:Yeah, way to blame the minority morrocans

I guess afellay is a killer too?

Ever been in amsterdam or rotterdam? So much scum, criminals on the street and all of them are Marrocian. Nobody in Holland was suprised by the fact that these were those guys. I just hope Holland protects its country and makes sure these people dont get the chance to do this things again. Shamefull penalties.

2 years? What that is the maximum sentence?

They beat a man so badly he eventually died and on top of that it wasn't one or two, SIX kids and a fully grown man all viciously attacked ONE MAN

over football ffs

I bet if they committed fraud or didn't pay taxes for a couple of years they'd get a harsher sentence...

2 years is a joke

What?

They should be hanged in public for what they did.

Clockwork, what are your thoughts on tourism in Holland?

Not all imigrant football players are bad, I once played in a team full of them and they were some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Just because a minority of them are bad, doesn't mean they all are.

As for the actualy thread, the judge said that was the max sentence, I would have liked them to understand what they did but obviously their lawyer thought he could get them off not guilty.

Collblanc wrote:

Giggity5313 wrote:Yeah, way to blame the minority morrocans

I guess afellay is a killer too?

Ever been in amsterdam or rotterdam? So much scum, criminals on the street and all of them are Marrocian. Nobody in Holland was suprised by the fact that these were those guys. I just hope Holland protects its country and makes sure these people dont get the chance to do this things again. Shamefull penalties.

you're acting as if attacking referees is a trademark immigrant thing to do .

similar incidents that happened  this year :

" a referee in Spain was hospitalized and had his spleen removed after being assaulted by a player"
". Last week, a New Jersey parent was arrested and charged with assault after he slapped a 17-year-old Little League umpire."

" 17-year-old soccer player punched a recreation-league referee in the head in suburban Salt Lake City, the referee is dead, the player faces charges, and youth sports are left with questions about the seeming rise in severity of assaults on officials."

none of the assailants above are of ethnic minorities or immigrants .

funny how isolated incidents are amplified to make blanket statements about other issues...

The immigration comment was really stupid. Dunno if it was a trolling expedition, or how you really feel, but there was no need for it

Wow, just wow....wonder how badly they beat him though.... sad event.... the parent definitely guilty most out of all....