The football championship of the Netherlands, the Eredivisie, is facing uncertainty. A court decision expected on Monday could lead Dutch football into an unprecedented crisis.
In recent weeks, a controversy has been brewing regarding the status of dual-nationality players. Like in other countries, some players have chosen to represent a different sports nationality than their country of birth.
This decision could be seen as a renouncement of Dutch citizenship. As a result, these players may be considered foreigners and would need a work permit to continue playing in the Netherlands.
25 Eredivisie players do not have the required work permit to play with their respective clubs. Certain criteria, such as earning an annual salary of at least 608,000 euros for players over 21, are necessary to obtain this permit.
While this issue has been known for some time, a complaint filed by NAC Breda to the Dutch Football Federation, KNVB, has caused chaos. After suffering a 6-0 defeat against Go Ahead Eagles on March 15th, the club contested the eligibility of Dean James, who chose to represent the Indonesian national team in March 2025.
Following this, several clubs have temporarily placed their dual-nationality players on technical unemployment pending clarification of their status. Some players, like Surinamese international Tjaronn Chery of NEC Nijmegen, have received a payment from the immigration and naturalization service allowing them to resume playing.
The KNVB and the Eredivisie Supervisory Board rejected NAC Breda’s request, but the club has appealed, and a judge from a Utrecht court is set to make a ruling on Tuesday. In total, 133 matches in the Dutch championship could be affected by these disputes. Replaying them at this stage of the season would be simply impossible.
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