The Eredivisie could be plunged into complete chaos, and as many as 133 games could be at risk of having to be replayed.
Even the most die-hard football supporters can be forgiven for not having heard of Dean James – but he could be the man who sends Dutch football into a crisis.
Read: Offers Liverpool superstar Salah €385,000 in weekly wages to stay in Europe
He is a Dutch-born player for Go Ahead Eagles, but represents Indonesia at national team level. He has earned five caps since his debut on March 20, 2026, when they lost to Australia, after agreeing to play for the nation in February 2025.
But this decision to leave their ancestral homeland could have major consequences for the Eredivisie, as pointed out in the Dutch podcast “De Derde Helft”. The reason is that he may have played as an ineligible player.
Predicted chaos before it broke loose
The situation reached a breaking point after NAC Breda lost 6-0 to Go Ahead Eagles on March 15. Then one of the podcast hosts made a statement that confused everyone in the room.
Rogier Jacobs claimed that NAC Breda could still win the match, despite the fact that it had already been played. He explained that Go Ahead Eagles had possibly fielded an ineligible player in James.
“If you are a Dutch player with Indonesian roots, you can choose to play for Indonesia. You then get a passport there, but what many players and clubs don’t know is that in some cases you thereby give up your Dutch citizenship,” Jacobs explained.
“If the NAC finds out about this and takes legal action, this fight could end up being a victory for them. I was at an event with someone from a law firm that specializes in this, and he said that this could be very serious.
The professor who explains the law
Professor of sports and law, Marjan Olfers, explained to ESPN how the situation could play out for the Dutch top division.
“If a player renounces their Dutch citizenship, they are in a different legal area. Then you are in reality a foreigner. And then you have to have a work permit to be able to carry out your work here,” he said.
Four days after the podcast was published, NAC Breda complained to the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) about James’ eligibility to play. Since then, the situation has dragged around 25 players with it – a crisis that stems from confusion about dual citizenship.
The players in question are all national team players for Indonesia, Suriname and Cape Verde – who were unaware of the Dutch law.
Court case could shake the football Netherlands
On Monday, a verdict in a court case in Utrecht – between NAC Breda and the KNVB – could have serious consequences for Dutch football. If the referee decides in NAC Breda’s favour, the KNVB faces a nightmare in the scheduling of matches – and will potentially have to replay at least 133 matches.
The KNVB and the Eredivisie’s Supervisory Committee (ECV) rejected the club’s demand to have the match replayed. The federation justified the rejection by saying that neither James nor Go Ahead Eagles were aware that he lacked the correct permission – as was also the case with several other players.
Nevertheless, lawyers believe that Breda has a good chance of having the KNVB’s decision reversed in the appeal case. On Tuesday, a court in Utrecht heard the appeal.
The KNVB states that if the decision is overturned, it could lead to clubs appealing the results of all 133 matches involving similar cases. That could result in an Eredivisie calendar that the federation fears will never be completed – especially not before this summer’s World Cup in 2026.
Read on F7: United offer players in exchange to secure one of Europe’s best left wingers
