At the age of 48, Serge Rossmeisl, director of the professional club organisation FBO, passed away suddenly on Sunday. He suffered long-term, severe illness.
Tilburg native Rossmeisl has been a part of Dutch professional football since 2002. He joined the Federation of Professional Football Organisations (FBO), the employers’ association that defends the interests of Dutch professional teams, the same year after completing his legal studies. Serge began as a lawyer and was appointed director of the Zeist-based company in 2010. He was involved in all kinds of issues relating to player contracts, including collective bargaining, FIFA, UEFA, and KNVB laws.
In the midst of the pandemic, At FBO, Rossmeisl had one of his career’s high points. He was a driving force behind the emergency response plan. That clubs and players came up with in the spring of 2020 to address the pandemic’s financial effects. This included a short decrease in player compensation, among other factors. “The clubs thought of themselves, but I was there for all the clubs,” said Rossmeisl in response. “PSV may benefit from cheaper salaries, but by reducing the minimum number of contract players from 16 to 14, we pleased Telstar and Top Oss. I was extremely happy when that package arrived at its destination. Then, we could fully demonstrate what FBO could do for clubs.”
One of the last interviews of Serge Rossmeisl
Acute leukaemia was discovered in Rossmeisl early this year, just before his twentieth anniversary with FBO. He underwent a number of therapies, such as a stem cell transplant, but after a positive beginning, he was informed at the end of this summer that the sickness had returned and there was nothing the physicians could do for him.
In the beginning of October, Rossmeisl stated, “Of course I don’t want to die. I’ve lived for 48 years, but I’ve also gotten so much out of it that I don’t have a bucket list to cross off and I can say with certainty that I’ve had a really lovely life. That makes me happy and provides me peace of mind.
