Twente defender Douglas has decided against applying to FIFA for a special dispensation to represent the Netherlands at Euro 2012.
The Brazilian-born central defender received his Dutch passport in November and was hoping to receive clearance from world football’s governing body to be eligible for selection for Bert van Marwijk’s side.
But the 24-year-old and his agent have decided not to apply because they feel he would not be granted permission to represent his adopted country.
FIFA regulations state that a passport is not enough for a player to be able to represent his new country, they must also have lived there for at least five years and the former Joinville man has only resided in the Netherlands since the middle of 2007.
“Ultimately, we concluded that such a dispensation request makes no sense,” Douglas’ agent Ger Peerik told De Telgraaf.
“There are no comparable situations in which a dispensation has been granted. Furthermore, FIFA does not specify the criteria.”
“Recently FIFA has emphasised the five-year period. There were proposals to push that period back to three years, but they were unsuccessful.”
Douglas hopes to represent the Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup in his native Brazil.
