Football player, 23, with caps for Oranje, faces deportation after 14 years

A 23-year-old talented footballer who had four caps for the Netherlands as a young teenager faces deportation back to Congo after 14 years in the country.

Christian Gandu, who also played for FC Utrecht, FC Groningen and Almere City, has run out of legal options to stay and is now to be sent back, his current amateur club Magreb ’90 says.

Gandu came to the Netherlands as a refugee at the age of nine and played four times for the Oranje under 15 team in 2006 and 2007. It is unclear if he came alone or with family.

Magreb ’90 is trying to generate as much publicity as possible to keep Gandu in the country. ‘He is a Dutchman in heart and soul,’ the club says. ‘He’s a great, good-humoured team mate and a benefit to every club.’

The IND says the situation in Gandu’s home country is now safe enough for him to return home. His passport has been confiscated and he has been ordered to leave by December 17.