A Dutch man, who worked as a linesman during his son's youth football game, has died in hospital after being attacked by several angry players.

According to AP, Richard Nieuwenhuizen was beaten and kicked by young footballers from Amsterdam club Nieuw Sloten after their away match at Buitenboys Almere on Sunday.

The 41-year-old collapsed and was taken to hospital several hours after the incident, with his eath being announced on Monday evening.

"You can't believe this could happen. That kids of 15 or 16 are playing football, you come to watch and see something like that," Marcel Oost, Buitenboys club chairman, Dutch NOS broadcaster.

Three Nieuw Sloten players – between 15 and 16 years old – were arrested earlier on Monday for alleged involvement in the attack, but the police haven’t ruled out more arrests taking place.

Nieuwenhuizen was refereeing a match, in which one of his sons was playing, with parents officiating their children’s games being a normal practice in the Netherlands

"He did it every week," Oost said. "He enjoyed doing it. He was a real football man. He was always here."

Meanwhile, Nieuw Sloten have posted a statement on its website, saying they have banned the players involved and withdrawn their team out of the league.

The linesman’s death comes almost a year after a Dutch amateur football player fatally kicked a 77-year-old fan following a match.

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