Jonas Eriksson is a referee from Sweden and has officially ben apart of FIFA since 2002. The 40-year old is passionate about football and has described his induction into FIFA as the happiest moment of his life. Sounds like the life of any other referee?
But here’s where things get interesting. The Swede is actually worth a whopping $10 million. He has acquired this wealth by selling of the 15% share he held along with two other gentlemen of a Swedish company called IEC in Sport and can actually lead a life of relative ease and comfort even if he chose to live the rest of his days as a formally retired man. IEC happens to be a company based in Stockholm but with offices around the globe that deals with distribution of television rights to TV stations and media companies.
The former journalist however has decided to follow his passion and become a full-time professional referee. He has been referring since 1994, but the man was officiated by FIFA only in 2002 and is exhilarated by the thrill of the game and the joy of travelling that accompanies regular refereeing. He has been involved in certain controversies regarding his skills, especially when he failed to reward penalty kicks to Barcelona in their Champion’s League match against AC Milan, but on the whole he is respected for his keen eye and sharp skills. Seeing as he is financially settled and following his heart, Jonas Eriksson seems to have the best of both worlds.
A video about him:
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