Dutch journalist calls for Morocco to pay for players trained in the Netherlands
Ayoub Oufkir’s decision to represent Morocco has sparked a new debate in the Netherlands. Sports journalist Mike Verweij proposes requiring federations that recruit players trained abroad to compensate their countries of development for every international match they play.
“FIFA or the KNVB must act,” Mike Verweij said on the De Telegraaf Kick-off podcast, broadcast on November 6. The Dutch journalist accuses Morocco of benefiting from the infrastructure and resources devoted to developing young footballers in the Netherlands before attracting them to its own national teams.
To compensate for these investments, Verweij suggests setting up a compensation system between federations. Each match a player plays for his new national team would trigger a payment to the country where he was trained. The journalist wants the Dutch federation or FIFA to consider this possibility.
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His colleague Valentijn Driessen immediately rejects the idea. He points out that training compensation already exists in club football, but that national federations operate differently. “This payment system goes too far,” he says, defending the right of dual-nationality players to choose their national team.
The discussion comes after Ayoub Oufkir’s move to the Atlas Lions. The 20-year-old AZ Alkmaar striker won the European Under-19 Championship with the Netherlands in 2025. He then continued his career with the Dutch Under-21 team, scoring two goals in four appearances.
KNVB director of elite football Nigel de Jong and Under-21 coach Michael Reiziger met Oufkir a few days before his decision in an attempt to persuade him to stay. The player ultimately informed the Dutch federation of his choice on Wednesday, November 4.
Driessen also regrets the sporting loss. He believes Oufkir could have strengthened the Dutch national team, but notes that the KNVB was free to select him or not.
