First World Cup participation possible
©IMAGO
Suriname dreams of taking part in a World Cup for the first time. The South Americans are still fighting for a ticket to next year’s XXL tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico via the international playoff route. The first game will be against Bolivia on March 23rd, followed by Iraq (March 31st) if they are successful in the final. Danilho Doekhi from Union Berlin could also be there.
The association hopes to soon receive the go-ahead to welcome the central defender to the national team. The 27-year-old is still waiting for approval from FIFA. “This case has been going on for a year now. He (Doekhi, editor’s note) consciously chose us, but he has not yet been declared eligible to play by FIFA. We are contesting this rejection and have had it thoroughly examined. I heard from a lawyer that hopefully the case will be heard before the CAS in the second week of January and then we will get the green light as quickly as possible,” said Brian Tevreden, director of football affairs for the Surinamese association “ESPN.nl” quoted.
Doekhi played for the Dutch U18, U19 and U20 national teams as a youngster and has played five games for the U21 team. However, a call-up for the A team never came. That’s why he decided on Suriname more than a year ago. The association then submitted an application in October 2024, which FIFA rejected. “I don’t know exactly why. I think it has something to do with the fact that I played for the Dutch juniors as a 22-year-old. But I’m not entirely sure either,” said Doekhi, who still hopes: “Suriname is in my heart, I want it.”
The South Americans are also looking forward to a decision. “Doekhi is a renowned name who has been playing in the Bundesliga for several years. He has shown fantastic performances in the Netherlands. That would be quite a boost for Surinamese football. I think it would also convince other boys. That’s why we are doing everything we can to get him eligible to play,” emphasized Tevreden. In Suriname, the defender would be the most valuable professional in the squad with a market value of 13 million euros, ahead of his former Union colleague Sheraldo Becker (12 million euros).