‘Passportgate’: Relief for Dutch football federation as NAC Breda lose court appeal over ineligible player

NAC Breda have lost their court appeal to have their match against Go Ahead Eagles replayed due to the club fielding an ineligible player.

The result will come as a huge relief to the KNVB (the Dutch football association) who had originally rebuffed NAC’s appeal, with the matter subsequently taken to the Dutch court.

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NAC had appealed to the KNVB to have their 6-0 defeat against Go Ahead Eagles replayed as it emerged Go Ahead had fielded an ineligible player in Dean James, one of the players at the centre of what became known as “passportgate.”

The KNVB rejected NAC’s appeal, but the Eredivisie club took the matter to court looking to overturn the call. A judge on Monday ruled the KNVB’s original decision should stand.

The judge ruled that the KNVB has discretionary power over judging which matches should be replayed, therefore ruling their original decision legitimate. NAC is weighing up whether to appeal the decision.

The result will delight the KNVB, who had feared a doomsday scenario if NAC had succeeded as the decision could trigger multiple complaints from various clubs, leaving the Eredivisie organisers dreading scheduling chaos.

This all relates to what’s been dubbed “passportgate” in the Dutch media. After Go Ahead Eagles hammered NAC Breda on March 15, a podcast — De Derde Helft — casually mentioned Dutch-born Dean James, the Go Ahead Eagles and Indonesia player, could be ineligible. NAC Breda heard the podcast and subsequently appealed to the KNVB for the result to be overturned and the match replayed.

The KNVB originally rejected NAC’s appeal as neither James nor Go Ahead were aware of him not having the right permit, as was the case with several other players. But NAC took the matter to court with the summary proceedings heard in Utrecht last Tuesday. The judge heard both arguments, and wanted time to consider both sides and subsequently adjourned a decision until Monday.

James is one of 25 players across the Dutch leagues who took up offers of playing international football for Indonesia, Suriname or Cape Verde in the past couple of seasons having qualified through relatives.

James made his Indonesia debut in March 2025, and in doing so effectively surrendered his Dutch nationality. Other players also did the same when they accepted offers from Suriname, Indonesia or Cape Verde.

The Netherlands prohibits dual nationality (unless individuals meet certain criteria), as do Indonesian citizenship rules. This effectively meant this group of players had surrendered their Dutch passports, rendering them non-EU players, meaning they required a work permit to play.

The KNVB assessed that at least 11 players from the Eredivisie had dealt with passport issues, which would impact the results of 133 matches.

“We think that chaos will ensue because so many other clubs have made reservations,” said Marianne van Leeuwen, on behalf of the KNVB competition board, last week.

“If NAC wins, those other clubs will also file summary proceedings and the like. That could mean that the competition cannot be completed,” says Van Leeuwen.

The KNVB’s lawyer argued during the summary proceedings that at least 133 Eredivisie matches have been played in which potentially ineligible players may have featured.

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NAC, meanwhile, argued this judgement only affected their specific match, with CEO Remco Oversier saying this case was about “securing the interest of NAC Breda.”

According to the rules, clubs must raise the alarm within eight days of the match if there are doubts about a player’s eligibility. But there are loopholes if the match in question either affects the title race or impacts relegation. Only NAC Breda and second division side TOP Oss have appealed so far. TOP Oss have since accepted the KNVB’s decision that their match against Willem II would not be replayed.

The football association is concerned though of what they call a “snowball effect” as several clubs, including Ajax and Feyenoord, have “reserved their rights” to take action later, according to their legal representatives.

NAC’s lawyer called this reservation “a sham.” According to NAC, it was highly questionable whether those clubs would take action, even if NAC won this case.

The KNVB argued there was ignorance regarding the rules. The judge queried this, referring to an article in Voetbal International in 2025 highlighting this issue. “These are not amateurs, but professional parties,” said the lawyer representing NAC.

But after the hiatus, the judge came down on the KNVB’s side. The judge said it was not unreasonable of the KNVB to reject NAC’s appeal, fearing the wider ramifications of such a decision if it allowed NAC’s match to be replayed.

“It is therefore understandable that the KNVB makes a different choice, even if it is not yet certain how many requests will be pursued to declare matches invalid and have them replayed.

“Partly for this reason, it is not unreasonable that the competition board weighs the potentially significant consequences for the competition, which is nearing its end, more heavily than NAC’s interest in having the match replayed.”