Several Dutch football clubs are checking the credentials of dozens of players who opted to play for Suriname and Indonesia amid concerns that they may have become ineligible in the process.
The issue came to light when football podcast, De Derde Helft, noticed that Go Ahead Eagles fielded defender Dean James in their recent 6-0 victory over relegation-threatened NAC Breda.
The 25-year-old was born in the Netherlands, but has Indonesian heritage and obtained an Indonesian passport last March in order to qualify for the national team. He has since made five appearances for Indonesia.
Indonesia, like the Netherlands, does not recognise dual nationality and requires new citizens to give up their previous passport in order to naturalise.
That would mean James is no longer an EU citizen and has to meet much stricter criteria to play in the Eredivisie, such as a work permit and a minimum salary of €600,000 a year.
The Dutch football association KNVB has turned down a request by NAC to have the match in Deventer replayed on the grounds that Go Ahead fielded an ineligible player.
A spokesman said: “The management of the professional football league does not intend to have the match declared invalid and replayed.”
World Cup hopefuls
But the KNVB said it was reviewing the status of players who had taken Indonesian nationality in order to boost their chances of playing in the World Cup.
Several Dutch-born players have made the switch in the last two years, including Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Paes. Ajax checked the player’s eligibility when he joined the club in February.
Others, such as Volendam’s Mauro Zijlstra, were recruited by former Netherlands international striker Patrick Kluivert during his spell as Indonesia team coach last year. Kluivert was dismissed in October after the team failed to qualify for this summer’s finals in Mexico, Canada and the USA.
The KNVB is also investigating the status of Dutch-born players in the Suriname national team, who are involved in a World Cup play-off match against Bolivia this week. They include Groningen goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen, NEC striker Tjaronn Chery and Go Ahead Eagles forward Richonell Margaret.
Initially it was believed that the players had been given “sports passports”, allowing them to retain their Dutch nationality, but the KNVB wants to establish if they have obtained full citizenship, which would mean they are no longer Dutch.
A spokesman said: “This issue will be studied thoroughly. It concerns a complex case with multiple implications, so it will take some time.”
No longer Dutch
Go Ahead Eagles have continued to include Dean James in their squad, insisting that he is regarded as Dutch by the Netherlands’ tax authorities.
“We know exactly how James joined our club, with a Dutch passport and Dutch nationality,” said club director Jan-Willem van Dop. “I logged in with James yesterday on [government web portal] Mijn Overheid and said: ‘Take a look at what nationality you have there,’ and it said: ‘Dutch nationality’.”
But Pieter Krop, a lawyer specialising in European migration, said the case could have consequences for James and other players who have taken a different nationality for the chance to play international football.
“You can have a Dutch passport, but you’re no longer Dutch,” he told NOS. “And if you’re no longer Dutch, you no longer have a work permit.”
