In many football cultures around the world, the referee is merely a necessary evil—a figure to be ignored until they make a controversial decision. In the Netherlands, however, referees are often full-blown media personalities. Page 21 of the September 2014 matchday programme perfectly illustrates this unique cultural quirk by dedicating a substantial column to the man with the whistle: Bas Nijhuis.
The headline reads: “NIJHUIS VOOR NEGENTIENDE KEER IN EUROBORG” (Nijhuis for the nineteenth time in Euroborg). The fact that the club’s media department was meticulously tracking a referee’s appearances down to his 19th match shows the level of respect and attention given to officials. The text acts as a detailed historical ledger, reminding fans of his very first match at the stadium in 2006/2007 against NEC, and listing subsequent fixtures against Heracles, AZ, and Sparta Rotterdam.
For the fans reading this in the stands, seeing Nijhuis’s name meant they knew exactly what kind of game to expect. Known for his “let it flow” philosophy, Nijhuis rarely blew his whistle for soft fouls, guaranteeing a highly physical, fast-paced, and often combative 90 minutes. He wasn’t just officiating the match; his specific style was a tactical variable that both managers had to prepare for.
A Look into the Future
The beauty of reading this programme from the perspective of 2026 is knowing what happens next. Just two months after this match, in November 2014, Nijhuis would return to the Euroborg to officiate a massive clash against PSV—his milestone 20th appearance, which the club celebrated in that respective programme. Today, Bas Nijhuis has transcended the pitch entirely. He is a successful entrepreneur and a regular, highly entertaining guest on popular Dutch football talk shows like Vandaag Inside, where he defends his decisions and trades jokes with pundits. This 2014 column captures him right in the prime of his on-pitch career, a true protagonist of the Eredivisie theater.