Francis Rion Explained

Francis Rion
Birth Date:10 June 1933
Birth Place:Dalhem, Belgium
Nationality:Belgian
Occupation:Football referee

Francis Rion (10 June 1933 – 3 November 2022) was a Belgian football referee.[1] He was an international referee until 1981 and notably officiated the 1978 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal between Italy and Austria,[2] a 1 to 0 victory for the Italians.[3]

In 1994, Rion founded a referee supporters' club in Malmedy named Lès Djoyeûs Dragons d'Mâm'dî with the support of Standard Liège.[4] He became honorary president of the club in 2013. In 2015, he was made an honorary member of the Famille des Rouches, an associate of supporters of Standard Liège.

Notes and References

  1. News: Cammereri. Romain. 3 November 2022. Francis Rion, l’arbitre international de Malmedy et grand supporter du Standard de Liège, est décédé. French. Sudinfo. 5 November 2022.
  2. Web site: Francis Rion. World Referee.
  3. Web site: Au rayon "Personnalités". Dalhem. French. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180904161907/http://www.dalhem.be/WEBSITE/BEFR/01/Presentation0102.php. 4 September 2018.
  4. Web site: Lès Djoyeûs Dragons d'Mâm'dî. Lès Djoyeûs Dragons d'Mâm'dî. French. dead. https://archive.today/20151213064148/http://www.djoyeus-dragons.be/. 13 December 2015.