Utrecht court rejects NAC Breda replay bid, Eredivisie crisis averted | OneFootball

Utrecht’s district court has rejected NAC Breda’s bid to replay their 6-0 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles over an eligibility dispute, averting a potential Eredivisie crisis. According to L'Équipe, the ruling was delivered on Monday.

Breda argued the 15 March match should be replayed because Dean James, who started for Go Ahead Eagles, should not have been eligible. Under Dutch regulations he had forfeited his Dutch nationality after taking Indonesian nationality to play World Cup qualifiers. Earlier appeals to the KNVB and the Eredivisie supervisory board had been dismissed.

Had the court sided with Breda, the disruption could have been unprecedented. Figures discussed at a hearing last Tuesday indicated 25 players had appeared without the required work permit and 133 matches could have needed to be replayed, with several clubs ready to act.

The court found the KNVB’s competitions department was entitled to decide the game did not need to be replayed despite an ineligible player, having reasonably weighed all interests. It also noted neither the club nor the footballer knew the nationality switch would automatically trigger legal consequences.

Breda could not be reached after the verdict, and the club had previously said it would not appeal if it lost. After eight matches without a win, they are second bottom, six points from the play-off place with two games remaining. Their league position was deemed irrelevant to the case.

Source: L'Équipe