‘World’s richest footy ref’ is millionaire shop owner worth more than Mike Tyson
'Who'd be a referee?' It's a familiar refrain among football supporters, and when it comes to former Dutch official Bjorn Kuipers, it's a particularly pertinent question.
One of the most recognisable referees in Europe during his…er…whistling days, Kuipers is now retired. He spent well over a decade at the top of his profession, taking charge of high-profile matches in the Champions League, World Cup and European Championships, including the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy.
At a time when referees get it in the neck every which way, Kuipers was generally considered a pretty safe pair of hands. But what's more remarkable than a competent referee (only joking) is that he didn't really have to put himself through years of fans giving him abuse. That's because he was – and still is – a multi-millionaire.
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Born in Oldenzaal near the border with Germany, Kuiper owns and runs the town's supermarket and hair salon with wife, Marlies. He is a franchise owner of the local Jumbo store, a supermarket that operates across the Netherlands and Belgium.
The 49-year-old studied business at university, something which he certainly put to good use later down the line. Reports before last summer's Euros final estimated Kuipers' net worth to be in the region of £11.5million-£12million.
Would carry on as a referee if you we were worth millions of pounds? Let us know in the comments section below.
With profit like that, who needs the aggro of refereeing? If those figures are correct, Kuipers is worth considerably more than former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, who is said to have a net worth of around £8.4million.
Iron Mike has earned hundreds of millions of pounds since his professional boxing debut in 1985, but three marriages, a prison stint and bankruptcy in 2003 has taken a serious toll on his finances. When Tyson was forced to file for bankruptcy 19 years ago, media reports at the time claimed he was in $23million (£19.5m) worth of debt.
Kuipers' finances, on the other hand, are in rude health, meaning he is worth somewhere in the region of £3m-£4million more than Tyson. Kuipers retired from refereeing last summer, presumably giving himself more time to focus on his supermarket business.
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