NO..NO...NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That F$%KING C*NT Verdonk has to have her F$&#KING way, doesnt she??!! This kid has lived in Holland since he was 13, that means he's naturalized plenty IMO. Oh and btw, in other news today its still perfectly fine for Muslim extremists to be granted asylum in Holland
Dont think so Rab, I think Verdonk initially tried to hold her ground, then knew she started to look ridiculous as the thing went on, and then got stubborn cause she didnt want to lose face. Thats all it was, and she tried to cloak her argument in bureaucracy
Althoug I think Kalou would be a nice addition to the Dutch Setup, but it is not as if he is going to bring Holland a world cup. He is a good sqaud player at best, not a saviour. This whole thing is a distraction the Netherlands doesn't need right ahead of the world cup.
Matty, noone's saying he'd be the saviour of Holland nor would he even be a starter in vBasten's eyes! Marco has only said Kalou would be a useful wing sub at best, but he did say he'd be guaranteed a bench spot at the least.
Go figure that politics have played a part in this messy affair. All I can say is that it is very sad for the player. Solomon does not want to play for the Ivory Coast because of its civil unrest, and the awful treatment of its own people. Its not a safe place, and the boy has more respect for the country that he now lives and works in, but because he does not score high enough on a test he is not qualified. Kalou is the big loser in this verdict as there is no way he could ever turn out for the Ivory Coast. He must wait and reapply for citizenship as he would look like a complete fool. What a strange situation for his brother and former Feyenoord man Bonaventure who is Captain for "his" country. I wonder what the talk between the two brothers is? On a seperate note I remember the same sad treatment of former Ajax player the Angolan born Nando Raphael, who was also turned down by Holland for citizenship even though he was in the country a lot longer than Kalou. He was eventually forced to look for a new team, (Hertha Berlin) and now is German Youth International on the cusp of the full German team. Irony or what?
Yes for sure and I dont blame him for telling Holland to FFFFFFF off!!! He should go play for the IC and I hope knocks us out in the 1st round on one of his goals (well not really, but you get the idea).
It's very sad for Kalou as he can't play for Holland and can't play for the Ivory Coast now either as he's considered a traitor there. He'll probably end up in the US or Germany where they don't have a problem naturalising people Well done Mrs Verdonk, you can be proud of yourself.
Would you want to play for Holland if you were treated the way he was? I wouldn't. It's just all so very childish, the way he can now only do an inburgeringstoets in May, after the squad selection deadline. It's almost like Verdonk's taking pleasure out of it.
As a little side note, though still related, I read other reports on a web site which claimed that Johnathan de Guzman, because of the treatment dished out to Kalou, now has second thoughts about playing for Oranje, and he may turn out for Canada instead.
No footballers, sorry you're right. I was thinking about your track and field people. And your tennis players.
The idea of of immigration officials assesing the skills of a soccer player has always been funny to me. It seems like the potential employer's opinion (in this case the Dutch NT) should be the only relevant one since there's no real coherent reason to import subpar talent. This goest for work permits in England as well,
One thing that's important to remember here is that Solomon isn't just attempting to swtich because Holland is richer, his brother, along with the rest of the Ivoirian team were sent to military camp in the wake of their abject failure at the 2000 CAN, where they were frogmarched on national TV and threatened by soldiers etc...I think that experience might have an effect on a young player.
Exactly. What's hilarious of course is that Verdonk said that 'experts' had assured her that Kalou isn't important for Holland. Now with Cruyff and van Basten arguing that he is, you have to wonder who those experts are.
He couldn't even if he wanted to. His brother needs to bring big strong boys to protect him whenever he returns to the Ivory Coast as he's received death threats because of this issue, I dread to think what they'd do to Salomon.
Actually I can. Regis a frenchman( forgot his first name) was naturalized in the months leading up to the 1998 world cup so he could join the American squad.
Didnt see this post you got there before me . I recall Regis not being able to respond in English to reporters prior the World Cup.