体坛英语新闻：Brazilian defender Douglas closer do Dutch national team

THE HAGUE, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian FC Twente defender Douglas obtained his Dutch passport on Wednesday from mayor Peter den Oudsten of Enschede. He hopes to get an invitation for the Dutch national team.

The 23-year-old Douglas Franco Teixeira was born in Florianopolis, Brazil and began his career at the Brazilian club Joinville. He joined Dutch team FC Twente on trial prior to the 2007/2008 season and became a regular after is first year. Douglas has now played 109 league matches, scoring 9 goals, for the Dutch club.

Douglas, whose girlfriend and daughter are Dutch, felt it was unrealistic for him to get a national team invitation from his home country and he declared he would be interested in playing for the Netherlands. He decided to start the proceedings of obtaining Dutch citizenship, a decision welcomed by national team coach Bert van Marwijk.

FIFA regulations state that a naturalized footballer above the age of eighteen years old should at least have resided in his new country for five years before being allowed to play for the national team.

This rule means Douglas would have to wait until September 2012 before being officially eligible for 'Oranje' , just after Euro 2012. The Dutch football association could ask for dispensation, but this process will take some time.