Jan de Vries (referee)

Jan de Vries (14 July 1982) is a Dutch football official from Gytsjerkster. His is on the FIFA referees list since 2017.
Biography.
Early years.
De Vries was a goalkeeper at the local football team "Trynwâldster Boys". When De Vries was twenty years old, he could no longer play football, due to a double leg fracture. At that time he was already a football referee in youth matches, but after his injury he started with a main focus on becoming a referee and took courses. The first time he was referee at the senior competition was in Bitgum with the match Bitgum against Cambuur '69 that ended with an impressive score of 27-0. At the age of 23 Mario Diks introduced him at under-21 matches. Eventually De Vries was a referee at the highest level amateur league, where he was referee until 2008. The Dutch Football Federation invited him to become professional, but not as a referee but as an assistant referee (linesman). Although he regretted not being a referee anymore, he accepted the offer.
International career.
At international level he is on the FIFA referees list since 2017. He has been an assistant referee in among others the Champions League and the UEFA Nations League. After Mario Diks left the squad of Dutch referee Danny Makkelie, De Vries became the assistant referee in the team of Makkelie together with with Hessel Steegstra. He was an assistant referee at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.