Danilho Doekhi will not be playing for the Suriname national team in future, ESPN reported on Wednesday afternoon. The Union Berlin defender, who hails from Rotterdam, will have to put this international dream out of his mind.
The Surinamese Football Association had been working for some time to secure Doekhi’s eligibility. The Union Berlin defender was keen to play for Suriname himself, but was not declared eligible by FIFA.
According to ESPN, challenging this decision at the CAS has now also come to nothing. “Doekhi previously played for Jong Oranje. When he last played for the Netherlands’ under-21s, he did not yet hold a Surinamese passport. Therefore, switching to another association is not possible.”
However, the spokesperson for the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie does mention a striking issue. “Because Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Paes also played in that match and was later allowed to switch to the Indonesian football association, Suriname thought it could successfully challenge FIFA’s decision at the CAS.”
“However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has upheld FIFA’s decision,” sources confirm to ESPN. “It is unclear why Doekhi was not allowed to switch associations, whereas Paes was.”
It appears that Doekhi can forget about an international career. The 27-year-old defender could still play for the Dutch national team, but faces fierce competition there.
Meanwhile, Doekhi is in his final months in Berlin. He has developed into an excellent Bundesliga defender in recent years and is available on a free transfer.