Dutch football braces for ruling in player eligibility dispute

May 1 : A ruling by a Dutch court on Monday threatens to throw the Eredivisie into turmoil if NAC Breda succeed in their bid to force a replay of their match against Go Ahead Eagles over the eligibility of defender Dean James, with officials warning the decision could jeopardise the completion of the season.

NAC are contesting their 6-0 defeat on March 15, arguing that James should never have been allowed to play. The club says the defender had lost his Dutch nationality after taking Indonesian citizenship in order to represent the Asian country in World Cup qualifiers, rendering him ineligible under Dutch football regulations.

The case, heard in Utrecht on Tuesday, has caused alarm across Dutch football. The national association, the KNVB, has warned that a ruling in NAC’s favour could open the floodgates to legal challenges involving more than 100 matches, placing the orderly completion of the season in doubt.

At the heart of the dispute is the status of Dutch-born players who have switched allegiance to countries such as Indonesia, Suriname and Cape Verde. Under Dutch law, people who voluntarily take another nationality generally lose their Dutch citizenship as the Netherlands prohibits dual nationality.

As a result, players long registered by clubs as Dutch nationals may in fact have become non-EU foreign players, a change that would require them to hold work permits to continue playing professionally in the Netherlands.

“If a player renounces his Dutch citizenship, he essentially enters a different jurisdiction,” sports law professor Marjan Olfers told ESPN. “In effect, he becomes a foreigner. And therefore, he needs a permit to be able to work here.”

The KNVB has conceded that James should not have featured in the match