Elfried Veldman
Encyclopedia
Elfried Romeo Veldman was a Dutch
-Suriname
footballer
. During his career he served De Graafschap
. He died two days after his 23rd birthday, when on June 7, 1989 he was killed in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764
air crash in Paramaribo
. He was the older brother of retired footballer and Dutch International
John Veldman
.
Veldman played in the youth squads of AFC Ajax as a right winger and was praised for his pace. Unfortunately for him he was unable to sign a professional contract at the club because of his lack in technique. He made the switch to De Graafschap
, where he made his professional debut and played 27 matches.
He was invited by Sonny Hasnoe, the founder of the Colourful 11 to be part of the team and travel to Suriname to play in the "Boxel Kleurrijk Tournament" with three Surinamese teams. The Surinam Airways Flight PY764 crashed during approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, killing 176 of the 187 on-board, including Veldman, making it the worst ever aviation disaster in Suriname's history. Among the dead were a total of 15 members of the Colourful 11, only three of them survived.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. During his career he served De Graafschap
De Graafschap
De Graafschap is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the "De Vijverberg" stadium. Their current home ground stands on where the old pitch used to be located and was opened on 12 August 2000...
. He died two days after his 23rd birthday, when on June 7, 1989 he was killed in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764
Surinam Airways Flight PY764
Surinam Airways Flight 764 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport in Suriname on a Surinam Airways DC-8...
air crash in Paramaribo
Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
. He was the older brother of retired footballer and Dutch International
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
John Veldman
John Veldman
John Fitzgerald Veldman is a former Dutch football player in the defender role. He started his professional career for PSV Eindhoven, and then moved on to Willem II, Sparta Rotterdam, AFC Ajax, Vitesse and RBC Roosendaal...
.
Veldman played in the youth squads of AFC Ajax as a right winger and was praised for his pace. Unfortunately for him he was unable to sign a professional contract at the club because of his lack in technique. He made the switch to De Graafschap
De Graafschap
De Graafschap is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the "De Vijverberg" stadium. Their current home ground stands on where the old pitch used to be located and was opened on 12 August 2000...
, where he made his professional debut and played 27 matches.
He was invited by Sonny Hasnoe, the founder of the Colourful 11 to be part of the team and travel to Suriname to play in the "Boxel Kleurrijk Tournament" with three Surinamese teams. The Surinam Airways Flight PY764 crashed during approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, killing 176 of the 187 on-board, including Veldman, making it the worst ever aviation disaster in Suriname's history. Among the dead were a total of 15 members of the Colourful 11, only three of them survived.