Florian Vijent
Encyclopedia
Florian Vijent was a Dutch
-Suriname
football
goalkeeper. During his career he played for Telstar
. He died at the age of 27, when on June 7, 1989, he was killed in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764
air crash in Paramaribo
. He is not related to Ed Vijent
.
Vijent's large build was one of the reasons he became a goalkeeper. At the end of the 1988-89 season he was named as "Best goalkeeper of the season" in the Eerste Divisie
. Vijent resembled AFC Ajax goalkeeper and close friend Stanley Menzo
, who often borrowed Vijent's drivers license.
Together with Menzo and teammate Radjin de Haan
he was invited by Sonny Hasnoe, the founder of the Colourful 11, to be part of the team and travel to Suriname to play in the "Boxel Kleurrijk Tournament" against three Surinamese teams. Although Menzo was instructed to not participate in the tournament by Ajax, he defied his club, booking an earlier flight to Suriname. On June 7, 1989, Surinam Airways Flight PY764 crashed during approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, killing 176 of the 187 passengers on board, including Vijent, making it the worst ever aviation disaster in Suriname's history. Of the 18-member Colourful 11 team, only De Haan and two other team members survived the accident.
Vijent's younger brother Patrick was facing psychological problems even before Florian's death. His problems, however, merely worsened after Florian's death and only a few days after the accident he committed suicide by throwing himself in front of an oncoming train.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
goalkeeper. During his career he played for Telstar
Stormvogels Telstar
Telstar is a Dutch football club based in Velsen. The club was established after the merger of two football clubs in the town of Velsen.- History :...
. He died at the age of 27, when on June 7, 1989, he was killed in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764
Surinam Airways Flight PY764
Surinam Airways Flight 764 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport in Suriname on a Surinam Airways DC-8...
air crash in Paramaribo
Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
. He is not related to Ed Vijent
Ed Vijent
Eddy "Ed" Vijent was a Dutch-Suriname footballer.During his career he served AZ '67, FC Volendam and Telstar. He died at the age of 38, when on October 22, 2001 he was killed by a neighbour after some arguments about parked scooters...
.
Vijent's large build was one of the reasons he became a goalkeeper. At the end of the 1988-89 season he was named as "Best goalkeeper of the season" in the Eerste Divisie
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
. Vijent resembled AFC Ajax goalkeeper and close friend Stanley Menzo
Stanley Menzo
Stanley Purl Menzo is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and a current coach.Most of his professional career was spent at Ajax , appearing in more than 300 official matches with the club and winning nine major titles.Menzo represented the Dutch national team in one World Cup...
, who often borrowed Vijent's drivers license.
Together with Menzo and teammate Radjin de Haan
Radjin de Haan
Radjin de Haan is a retired Dutch-Suriname footballer and currently is a football manager. During his career he served Telstar, FC Eindhoven and FC Den Bosch. He was one of the footballers that survived the Surinam Airways Flight PY764 air crash in Paramaribo on June 7, 1989...
he was invited by Sonny Hasnoe, the founder of the Colourful 11, to be part of the team and travel to Suriname to play in the "Boxel Kleurrijk Tournament" against three Surinamese teams. Although Menzo was instructed to not participate in the tournament by Ajax, he defied his club, booking an earlier flight to Suriname. On June 7, 1989, Surinam Airways Flight PY764 crashed during approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, killing 176 of the 187 passengers on board, including Vijent, making it the worst ever aviation disaster in Suriname's history. Of the 18-member Colourful 11 team, only De Haan and two other team members survived the accident.
Vijent's younger brother Patrick was facing psychological problems even before Florian's death. His problems, however, merely worsened after Florian's death and only a few days after the accident he committed suicide by throwing himself in front of an oncoming train.