Dean James assumed Indonesian nationality, but played without fulfilling the necessary requirements. Therefore, NAC Breda filed a formal complaint, and the decision is expected on Monday.
From the Netherlands comes one of those administrative cases that promises to last for years and even serve as an example, given its seriousness and unusual nature. On March 15th, in the 27th round of the Dutch championship, Go Ahead Eagles fielded Dean James in their 6-0 victory over NAC Breda. However, the left-back had recently acquired Indonesian nationality, which led Go Ahead Eagles to breach the regulations.
According to the rules of the competition, the player in question automatically lost his Dutch citizenship when he chose to represent Indonesia, as stipulated by Dutch law for cases of voluntary naturalization. Therefore, Dean James was required to present a specific work visa and earn the minimum wage required for non-EU athletes, which did not happen. Now, NAC Breda = fighting to avoid relegation = realized this mistake and filed a formal protest, demanding a replay of the match. But the approaching end of the season makes it impossible to replay at least six Go Ahead Eagles games.
If NAC wins the case, other clubs will also proceed with similar actions. This could mean that the competition will not be completed. I don’t think we have been negligent. Nationality is a very sensitive privacy issue,” said Marianne van Leeuwen, vice-president of the Dutch federation.
The Utrecht court’s decision will be announced on Monday and could jeopardize more than 100 matches already played. It’s worth noting that Portugal recently overtook the Netherlands in the UEFA rankings.
Go Ahead Eagles are in 11th place in the league, five points away from the European zone , while NAC are 17th, six points away from safety.