The aftermath of the so-called ‘passport gate’ also has an impact on the national women’s football selection of Suriname. When the ball starts rolling against Belize on the artificial turf in the Franklin Essed Stadium on Friday, there will be no players from the diaspora. The team will consist entirely of local football players. “As part of a careful approach, it has been decided to play the upcoming World Cup qualifier of the women’s team against Belize with a selection from the local competition,” the Surinamese Football Association (SVB) reports in a press statement.
Text Terence Oosterwolde
Image FB SVB
The parent organization believes that this has created the opportunity to “allow talent from the local competition to gain experience at the highest level and further develop within the national context”. Biswajeet Kali, technical director of the SVB, says yes when asked the True Time that national coach Mark de Vries will be on the sidelines as normal during Suriname’s last Concacaf W qualifying match of the first round. “Head coach Mark de Vries has been in the country since Monday. And he is in charge of the group,” Kali confirms. “The group has been training under the leadership of De Vries since Monday.”
“The focus remains on the sporting objectives of the national selections”
SVB
Final selection
Kali further reports that the final selection for Friday’s match has now been announced. Well-known faces within the group are the Transvaal trio Cady Chin See Chong, Latifah Moedjijo and Andaya Lantveld, former captain Hadassa Brandon of Robinhood and Cynthia Sital of Wit Santi.
Transvaal is the main supplier with seven players – goalkeeper Moedjijo, defenders Tenisha Wiebers and Oglaya Grootfaam, midfielders Chin See Chong, Rochni Scholsberg and Shanika Kertoidjojo and attacker Lantveld. Robinhood delivered six football players: goalkeeper Ferdeshia Klas, defenders Brandon, Chayenne Purperhart and Kaylie Brown and midfielders Mirelva Wongsodimedjo and Cherryl Adamson. The remaining seven internationals play for PVV (defenders Shillea Nortan and Renessa Sajat and striker Everiëtte Doekoe), Wit Santi (strikers Jenivia Wanabo and Cynthia Sital), Inter-Para (striker Namiesha Lamafoe) and Pikin Saron (striker Evelencia van Kallen).
Brandon, Chin See Chong, Doekoe and Moedjijo were the only local football players in the 23-man final selection against Haiti (0-2) on March 3, but were kept on the bench for ninety minutes. That meeting was the first time that players from the SVB women’s division had been selected by De Vries. Since his appointment, which was announced by the SVB on October 19, 2025, he had held a training camp in the Netherlands – also in October – and played the first two World Cup qualifiers with only football players from the diaspora.
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Player interests
However, they are now missing due to the ‘passport gate’. In the statement, the SVB board indicates that it is aware of recent reports regarding the nationality status of a number of players within the national men’s and women’s selection. “The SVB confirms that there has been contact between some players and their clubs following interpretations of national laws and regulations. This situation is currently being further assessed in consultation with legal experts and the relevant authorities,” the main board said.
It is emphasized that the interests of the players are central and are actively monitored. For this reason, no players from the diaspora have been called up for the last group D match in the Franklin Essed Stadium on Friday. Further updates will be shared “at an appropriate time,” according to the statement. It is emphasized that the SVB is working specifically on “a structural and sustainable solution”. “The SVB emphasizes that the focus remains on the sporting objectives of the national selections.”
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Missed qualification
The Concacaf Women’s Qualifiers have produced mixed results for Suriname so far. On November 28, the match started with a 3-1 win over Anguilla, but four days later a 2-0 lead (goals Chanté Dompig and Isabella Hoekstra) was given away against the home-playing Dominican Republic: 2-2. The loss against Haiti (0-2) last month in the Franklin Essed Stadium closed the door for this qualifying campaign. After all, only the group winner moves on to the second round.
Haiti leads group D undefeated with a full win (nine points) after three meetings. The Dominican Republic is second with seven points. These two countries will meet each other on Friday at Stade Roger Sami in Le Gosier, Haiti with the ticket for the second round at stake. A draw is enough for the home team, while the Dominican Republic can only advance if they win.
The six group winners will play in the 2026 Concacaf Women’s Championship, together with Canada and the United States, who were Concacaf runners-up and Concacaf one, in the 2026 Concacaf Women’s Championship. That championship will serve as a qualifying event for both the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the women’s football tournament of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States.
The ‘passport gate’ came into play when the Dutch premier league club NAC Breda protested to the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) against Dean James playing for Go Ahead Eagles, which had won 6-0. James was born in the Netherlands, but chose to play for Indonesia last year. A snowball effect arose, because football players who had opted for the national football selections of Suriname and Cape Verde were also told that they would no longer have the correct papers – work and residence permits – to play in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie, Keuken Kampioen Divisie and Eurojackpot Women’s Eredivisie. It was stated that by choosing a different passport (via naturalization) to play for a football selection outside the European Union, they had lost/given up their Dutch citizenship. They are no longer considered Dutch and are not allowed to play football without a work permit. Players from the Netherlands who play for the national football selection of Curaçao had no problem, because the island belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There are several nuances in the ‘passport gate’ and the last word has not yet been said about it.
