NAC Breda does not appear to be letting the matter rest following the KNVB’s ruling on ‘Passportgate’

NAC Breda is considering appealing against the KNVB’s decision not to take any action following Dean James’s fielding during the Go Ahead Eagles v NAC match, Voetbal International reported on Wednesday.

A few weeks ago, the Breda-based club submitted a request to the KNVB to declare NAC’s 6-0 defeat at Go Ahead Eagles invalid. According to the current seventeenth-placed side in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie, James was not eligible to play.

Under Dutch law, the Indonesian wing-back is not permitted to work, prompting NAC Breda to submit a request to the KNVB.

The Dutch Football Association issued a statement on Wednesday, announcing that no action would be taken. No penalties will be imposed and the match does not need to be replayed.

“The Professional Football Prosecutor has decided not to take any disciplinary measures. This is due to the fact that neither the player nor the club were aware of the automatic consequences of acquiring a nationality other than Dutch. Furthermore, it has emerged that the consequences of acquiring a different nationality were largely unknown within professional football,” read the statement on the KNVB website.

NAC is reportedly unlikely to leave it at that, according to Joost Blauwhof of Voetbal International. The club is said to be in consultation with lawyers to assess whether an appeal is still a viable option.

For the Pearl of the South, the stakes are high, particularly as winning this case could affect the league table. The Breda-based side currently sit in seventeenth place, meaning they will miss out on the play-offs and will have to compete in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie next season.

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