Arnod Gerrit Niekoop is a former Surinamese football player, referee and board member of the
Surinamese Football Association
The Surinamese Football Association ( nl, Surinaamse Voetbal Bond ) is the governing body of football in Suriname. It organizes the Surinamese football league system, the Surinamese Cup, Suriname President's Cup, Suriname national football team, ...
, as well as board member and former chairman of the Surinamese Refereeing Commission.
During his playing career he played in the Surinamese
Hoofdklasse for
S.V. Robinhood
Sport Vereniging Robinhood is a Surinamese football club based in Paramaribo that competes in the SVB Eerste Divisie, the highest level of football in Suriname. Founded on 6 February 1945, Robinhood is the most successful club in Surinamese foo ...
and
M.V.V., and for the
Suriname national team. He spent most of his professional playing career with S.V. Robinhood, winning five national titles, finishing as the league top scorer in 1964.
Career
SV Robinhood
Born in Diitabiki,
Surinam, Niekoop joined
S.V. Robinhood
Sport Vereniging Robinhood is a Surinamese football club based in Paramaribo that competes in the SVB Eerste Divisie, the highest level of football in Suriname. Founded on 6 February 1945, Robinhood is the most successful club in Surinamese foo ...
in 1954. Playing together with
Humphrey Mijnals,
Siegfried Haltman and
Kenneth Kluivert
Kenneth Ramon Kluivert (born 26 August 1941) is a Surinamese former footballer who played as a left winger for S.V. Robinhood in the SVB Hoofdklasse, and for the Suriname national football team.
He is the father of former Dutch International f ...
during his career with Robinhood, he helped form the dangerous attack of Robinhood, only rivaled by S.V. Transvaal at the time. In 1964 he led Robinhood to an undefeated season, winning the National championship and finishing as the leagues
top goal scorer that same season.
MVV
In 1966, he joined
M.V.V. (''Militaire Voetbal Vereniging''), the football club of the
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. He would continue his goal scoring habits at his new club, playing with the likes of Armand Doesburg and George Headley, who were considered a dangerous attacking tandem.
International career
Suriname
Niekoop played for the
Suriname national team, playing in the nation's first Olympic qualifiers following the foundation of the Surinamese Olympic Committee (S.O.C.) in 1959.
He made his first appearance in a friendly match on 20 September 1959 against
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
scoring the winning goal on his debut. On 20 March 1964, he scored the equalizer in a 2–2 draw with the
Netherlands Antilles in the countries first Olympic qualifying match. Niekoop scored additional goals in both losses against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, before Suriname were eliminated in the second round. He also played in the
CCCF Championship as well as the countries
1966 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
Refereeing career
Following his playing career, Niekoop became a referee in the
SVB Hoofdklasse in Suriname. Licensed by both
FIFA and
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch language, Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CON ...
, Niekoop has refereed for International tournaments, including the 2008
CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship
The CONCACAF Women's Under-17 tournament is a football (soccer) competition for women's national teams under 17 years of age in North America, Central America and the Caribbean region, and is the qualification tournament for the FIFA U-17 Women's ...
and the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic qualifiers.
As a member of the Surinamese Refereeing Commission, he became the chairman of the board, as well as a board member of the
Surinamese Football Association
The Surinamese Football Association ( nl, Surinaamse Voetbal Bond ) is the governing body of football in Suriname. It organizes the Surinamese football league system, the Surinamese Cup, Suriname President's Cup, Suriname national football team, ...
.
No longer the chairman, he is still a member of the board and has been involved in the official training and licensing of referees in Suriname by FIFA.
In June 2012, Niekoop was present when former
Jungle Commando
The Jungle Commando (formally known as the Suriname National Liberation Army) was a guerrilla commando group in Suriname. It was founded by Ronnie Brunswijk in 1986 to ensure equal rights for Suriname's minority Maroon population. The group was fo ...
leader and owner of football club
Inter Moengotapoe
Inter Moengotapoe (sometimes rendered Inter Moengo Tapoe or just IMT) is a Surinamese football club, based in Moengo
Moengo () is a town in Suriname, located in the Marowijne district, between Paramaribo and the border town Albina on the Cot ...
,
Ronnie Brunswijk
Ronnie Brunswijk (; born 7 March 1961) is a Surinamese politician, businessman, footballer, convicted drug trafficker, former rebel leader, and the current Vice President of Suriname. Brunswijk served in the early 1980s as the personal bodyguard ...
, intimidated the assistant referee and tore his shirt during a match against
S.V. Transvaal, in which Transvaal had been awarded a free kick.
Career statistics
International goals
:''Scores and results list Suriname' goal tally first.''
Honors
Club
;S.V. Robinhood
*
SVB Hoofdklasse (5): 1955, 1956, 1959, 1961, 1964
Individual
*
SVB Hoofdklasse Top Goalscorer (1): 1964
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niekoop, Gerrit
1934 births
Living people
Surinamese men's footballers
Suriname men's international footballers
S.V. Robinhood players
Sportvereniging Nationaal Leger players
SVB Eerste Divisie players
Surinamese football referees
Men's association football forwards