Three Dutch Youth Footballers Arrested For Murdering Linesman
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from London. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome back. 24 minutes past 9:00 here. We're following developments from the Netherlands for you where three teenagers have now been charged with manslaughter. This, after a volunteer football linesman was brutally attacked on the field by players during an amateur match. Let's bring in my colleague Don Riddell from CNN Center for more on this story. I can't ever remember a story quite like this. This is quite remarkable. What do we know at this point?</s>DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's just absolutely awful and really very, very tragic, Becky. One of the reasons it's so tragic, apart from the fact that a 41 year old man who was volunteering and being involved in a game he loved, has actually lost his life, is that his son was playing in this game. And after he was punched and kicked he was taken to hospital a few hours later and sadly lost his life. Here's what we know at this point, three youths, two 15 year old boys and one 16 year old boy will appear in court in Holland on Thursday charged with manslaughter, assault and public violence. The 41 year old man that died was called Richard Nieuvenhuizen and his death has sent shockwaves right throughout the football world and of course throughout the Dutch football community. All amateur games this weekend have been postponed. Professional games will be played, but professional teams will observe a minute silence ahead of their games this weekend. And the players involved in those games will honor and remember Mr. Nieuvenhuizen by wearing black arm bands. This has gone right to the very top, Becky. The FIFA president Sepp Blatter has issued a statement about this today saying, "football is a mirror of society. And sadly the same ills that afflict society, in this case violence, also manifest themselves in our game. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that football through the example set by the tireless efforts of people like Mr. Nieuvenhuizen is a force for good. And we must continue to use its positive example to educate people against these wrongs." You know, Dutch football, Becky, has given us so many amazing things: the Cruyff turn, total football, dozens of great players who have graced the best clubs around the world. And many of those players are now wondering exactly how on earth this could have happened. This is what the Ajax coach Frank De Boer had to say.</s>FRANK DE BOER, AJAX MANAGER (through translator): You can't imagine it happening, that boys of 15, 16 years old short-circuit like that. You wonder about the parenting. This is too ridiculous for words.</s>RIDDELL: Too ridiculous for words. And a very good point about the parenting, Becky. Of course, parents have a responsibility in the way they bring up their children and whether or, you know, how they should show respect to their elders, but of course, you know, every country is different, but a lot of times you have kids playing any kind of sport at this kind of age and often it's the parents on the sidelines that are getting more agitated and more excited, more animated giving the officials than a harder time than the players themselves. And of course often that is where the players learn this kind of behavior from.</s>ANDERSON: Yeah, pause for thought I think. Don, always a pleasure. Don Riddell at CNN Center. Back with World Sport in an hour for you from now. With the final match there of Champion's League group stages being played out as we speak. We'll get the latest for you on World Sport on that. All right, still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, a horrific abuses against civilians in Yemen. A human rights group says an affiliate of al Qaeda isn't the only one to blame. John Irving hits out over sexual intolerance. My interview with the iconic author still to come. All of that proceeded by the headlines at the bottom of the hour. That coming up after this.