Romeo Zondervan
Encyclopedia
Romeo Zondervan is a former professional Dutch footballer. He was born in Paramaribo
in Suriname
, and played his early football with Den Haag and Twente Enschede before joining West Bromwich Albion
, for whom he made 84 appearances. He signed for Ipswich Town
in 1984 for £70,000 and went on to make 274 appearances for the club before moving to Dutch club NAC Breda
in 1992.
.
, and signed for Ipswich, making his debut against Watford
in March 1984. During the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons, he captained the club. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph
, Zondervan stated that "my football days at Ipswich were the best in my career".
as part of the Dutch qualification campaign for UEFA Euro 1980. His only appearance came in a 3–0 victory over Cyprus
in February 1981.
in Europe for Ipswich under George Burley
. He was also the agent
for Collins John
, whose sale from FC Twente to Fulham
came under scrutiny from the Royal Dutch Football Association
in 2004. It was believed that Zondervan was not correctly registered with FIFA
, but it was later determined that Zondervan was not involved in the transfer.
, referred to him as the "Porno King". He has three sons.
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...
in 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...
, and played his early football with Den Haag and Twente Enschede before joining West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, for whom he made 84 appearances. He signed for Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
in 1984 for £70,000 and went on to make 274 appearances for the club before moving to Dutch club NAC Breda
NAC Breda
NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
in 1992.
Dutch league clubs
Zondervan started his professional football career in The Netherlands with ADO Den HaagADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
.
Ipswich Town
Zondervan was "discarded" by West Bromwich Albion's new manager, Johnny GilesJohnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
, and signed for Ipswich, making his debut against Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in March 1984. During the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons, he captained the club. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, Zondervan stated that "my football days at Ipswich were the best in my career".
International career
Zondervan was selected to play for his countryNetherlands 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...
as part of the Dutch qualification campaign for UEFA Euro 1980. His only appearance came in a 3–0 victory over Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
in February 1981.
Later career
After retiring as a player, Zondervan went on to scoutScout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
in Europe for Ipswich under George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
. He was also the agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
for Collins John
Collins John
Collins John is a Liberian-born Dutch footballer.-Club:John started his professional career at Dutch first division side FC Twente as a 17-year old, going on to score 11 league goals during one-and-a-half seasons combined...
, whose sale from FC Twente to Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
came under scrutiny from the Royal Dutch Football Association
Royal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues , the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch national football team. It is based in the municipality of Zeist.The KNVB came into being on 8 December 1889...
in 2004. It was believed that Zondervan was not correctly registered with FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, but it was later determined that Zondervan was not involved in the transfer.
Personal life
Zondervan is a full qualified pilot. He was arrested at British customs after they discovered a friend of his was carrying pornographic material from The Netherlands. British tabloid, The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, referred to him as the "Porno King". He has three sons.