Dutch teenage footballers jailed for linesman’s death

A Dutch court found six teenage footballers and a player’s father guilty yesterday of beating an amateur linesman to death, an incident that shocked the nation and prompted soul-searching over soccer violence and race.

Linesman Richard Nieuwenhuizen, 41, was attacked by the soccer players – mostly of Moroccan origin – while he was officiating at an under-17 match at Almere, near Amsterdam.

He was kicked repeatedly by the youth players, who were 15 and 16 years old at the time, and the adult who had been on the sidelines.

The adult was jailed for six years and the minors received sentences of between 12 and 24 months’ youth detention. An eighth suspect was acquitted.