The Discipline Committee of the KNCB has rejected the case against Dosti Amsterdam, based on their alleged fielding of two ineligible players, on technical grounds.

The case, initially submitted by Quick Haag, who had lost a best-of-three play-off against Dosti in which the two players, Hamid Rana and Afzal Ahmed, took part, was put before the Discipline Committee by the KNCB Board on 21 December. It alleged that Rana and Ahmed were ineligible when they played in eleven League matches and two of the three play-off games.

In its formal judgement, dated 19 January and posted on the Bond’s website, the Committee finds that, although the issue of foreigners playing in the Dutch leagues is a legitimate matter of concern, the Board’s submission should under the rules have been submitted within thirty days of the Board having knowledge of or having reasonably been able to have knowledge of the alleged offence.

In this case, the Committee declares, the Board should reasonably have known that the players were ineligible well before 21 December. Its interpretation of the relevant paragraph of the Disciplinary Code is that if no challenge is mounted to the result of a match within thirty days of its being played, then that result is unalterably established.

It therefore declares the case against Dosti inadmissible, and dismisses it. The rules do not provide for any appeal against this decision, it states.

The Quick case against Dosti was that Rana and Ahmed were not resident in the Netherlands, as article 2.4 of the KNCB Wedstrijdreglement requires them to have been, and that they played regularly in English club cricket throughout the season under different names.

The Discipline Committee’s judgement reports that Dosti had responded to these allegations by stating that Rana had received a dispensation under the rules, and that the club had believed that no dispensation was required by Ahmed.

Following the completion of the season, Quick Haag, who had been relegated to the Hoofdklasse after losing the play-off series and had their suspicions about the eligibility of the two players, commissioned an investigation, which led to their submitting a dossier to the KNCB.