Johannes Mutters

Who is Johannes Mutters?

D. Johannes Mutters was a Dutch international football referee during the 1920s and early 1930s.

Mutters came to international prominence during the 1920s alongside Willem Eymers. Both men represented the Netherlands in the 1920 Olympic Games football tournament. Mutters took charge of three matches during the medal tournament, including one of the semi-finals. The 1920 final was the subject of some controversy on account of the refereeing of John Lewis, who had refereed the second semi-final involving Belgium.

Mutters took charge of a further semi-final in the 1924 edition of the series; Switzerland defeated Sweden to play against Uruguay in the final. He was selected to referee the final, but in the second semi-final Holland had been defeated by Uruguay due to a controversial penalty decision. The Uruguayans disputed the involvement of a Dutch referee, and, consequently, Marcel Slawick was drawn from a hat.

Finally, Mutters was awarded the final of the 1928 tournament, a precursor to the 1930 World Cup final, in which Argentina played Uruguay. Mutters was the referee in the original final as well as the replay after the initial match ended in a 1-1 draw.