Why bizarre crisis could force top European league to replay over 100 matches

This is ridiculous...

The crisis has been caused as a result of a confusion about dual nationality, which is unlike anything seen before in the Netherlands, ESPN reports.

The crisis, known as Passportgate, about 25 players in the Dutch league have been implicated.

One of these players is Tjaronn Chery, who revealed to ESPN Netherlands in detail how the events have unfolded.

The NEC Nijmegen attacking midfielder, 37, following his return from international duty with Suriname in late March, as his country fell short of qualifying for this year’s World Cup, said that he wasn’t allowed at the club so he had to stay home for a period.

“I had to stay home for five days because I wasn't allowed at the club. I guess my family got to see dad for a change. But the kids and wife were asking me, ‘What's going on?’”, the player revealed.

This week, a Utrecht court judgment in the case between the KNVB and NAC Breda, the club that started it all, could mean there is a prospect of a scheduling nightmare.

Should the judge rule in the favour of NAC Breda, there is the possibility of at least 133 matches having to be replayed.

In mid-March, in a popular podcast, the hosts picked through the heavy defeat of NAC Breda, a day after they lost 6-0 to Go Ahead Eagles.

One of the pundits on “De Herde Helft” (“The Third Half”) podcast, Rogier Jacobs, following analysis of NAC Breda’s weak defence, casually said: “Well, NAC Breda can still win this match.”

As per Jacobs, Go Ahead Eagles possibly fielded an ineligible player, Dean James, after the left back accepted Indonesia's offer of international football in March 2025.

James, 26, was born in the Netherlands but he represents the Indonesia national team.

Jacobs said on the podcast: “If you're a Dutch player with Indonesian roots, you can choose to play for Indonesia. You'll get a passport there, but what a lot of players and clubs don't know is in some cases, you'd therefore give up your Dutch nationality.”

Speaking to ESPN, professor of sport and law, Marjan Olfers, said: “If a player renounces his Dutch citizenship, as it were, you enter a different jurisdiction. In fact, you are then a foreigner. And therefore, you must possess a permit to be able to perform your work here.”

Following the podcast, NAC Breda complained to the Dutch football association about the eligibility of James.

The club’s managing director Remco Oversier said on April 28 that he was alerted to James’ case following the podcast episode.

Countries like Indonesia, Suriname and Cape Verde were former Dutch colonies or countries with sizeable numbers of emigrants to the Netherlands.

Previously, they had looked to bolster their international sides with Netherlands-based players who could be eligible through their ancestry.

All of this, however, posed an issue, as Dutch law states that Dutch nationality is automatically lost upon voluntarily acquiring another nationality.

Applying for a new passport to play for Indonesia appears to fit that description, ESPN reports.

While there are some exceptions, when certain players from Indonesia, Suriname or Cape Verde accepted dual citizenship, they surrendered Dutch citizenship.

What is more, players in Dutch football must hit certain criteria to get a work permit.

What this means is that in the Netherlands, the most common means for those over 21 years old is to be paid a wage of €608,000 or more a year, while it is around half that amount for those under 21.

And that threshold immediately ruled out several players across the Dutch leagues, leaving a group without the right work permit.