KNVB appoints Zakaria Boufangacha as director of amateur football
The former FNV board member succeeds Jan Dirk van der Zee, who leaves at the end of 2026 after twelve years.
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Zakaria Boufangacha will become the KNVB’s new director of amateur football. He starts on 15 December and succeeds Jan Dirk van der Zee, whose maximum twelve-year term of office ends at the end of this year.
The KNVB announced the appointment on Monday. Boufangacha worked for almost nineteen years at trade union FNV and was a member of its executive board for the last eight years. According to the football association, he has experience with member organisations, social partners, politics and employers.
The new director will join the football association’s largest section. According to its own governance information, the KNVB represents approximately 1.2 million footballers and around 2,800 clubs. Amateur football therefore covers not only competitions, but also volunteering, youth development, refereeing and local sports policy.
Boufangacha played for Elinkwijk in Utrecht in his youth and is a volunteer and youth coach at C.O.V. DESTO. The KNVB emphasises that he therefore brings both governance experience and direct involvement with a club. That is relevant for an association seeking to keep the distance between national rules and the day-to-day reality at clubs small.
Van der Zee will remain responsible until the end of the year. He has held the position since 2015 and is leaving because he is reaching his maximum twelve-year term of office. The change is therefore a planned succession, not a dismissal or board crisis.
Boufangacha says he wants to work with clubs, volunteers and staff on the quality and social strength of amateur football. The association has not named any specific new policy measures that will be introduced directly with his appointment. The substantive direction is set out in the KNVB strategy for 2026 to 2030, which includes positive football culture, social impact and the development of youth football.
The appointment takes on significance against the backdrop of challenges faced by many clubs: having enough volunteers, safe sporting environments, rising costs and the question of how to keep young people and girls connected to clubs. What priorities Boufangacha will set as director remains to be seen when he takes up the role. Until then, this is an administrative transition, not an announced change of direction.
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The appointment and relevant career details were checked with the KNVB itself. The text clearly distinguishes between the established change in leadership and possible future policy choices.
- confirmed Zakaria Boufangacha has been appointed director of amateur football at the KNVB. — The KNVB published the appointment on 28 September 2026. source
- confirmed Boufangacha starts on 15 December. — The start date is stated in the KNVB announcement. source
- confirmed Jan Dirk van der Zee is leaving after a maximum twelve-year term of office. — The KNVB explicitly mentions the maximum term and the succession. source
- confirmed Boufangacha worked at FNV for almost nineteen years and spent eight years on its executive board. — This is stated in the official appointment announcement. source
- confirmed The KNVB represents approximately 1.2 million footballers and around 2,800 clubs. — The KNVB’s governance information gives these approximate figures. source