A 22-year-old Moroccan national who was born and brought up in the Netherlands but has never applied for Dutch nationality, has been told he has to leave the country for at least 10 years.

Ibrahim C was one of a gang of six young football players who attacked linesman Richard Nieuwenhuizen after a match in Almere in 2012. Nieuwenhuizen died of his injuries in hospital shortly afterwards.

C, who was given a 24 month sentence for his role in the attack six years ago, was 16 and captain of the Nieuw Sloten B1 team at the time. He has since been in trouble with the police several times for drugs and shoplifting, although his lawyer told the court he is now having treatment for his problems.

He does not have a Dutch passport because, the court was told, his mother never had the funds to pay for one. C was not in court to hear judges uphold the immigration service to deport him because he is considered ‘a threat to public order’.

In 2016 he was told that his temporary residence permit would not be renewed, broadcaster NOS said.

Nationality

The Dutch justice ministry also has the power to strip people of their Dutch nationality if they are convicted of, or suspected of, involvement in, terrorist activities or otherwise being a danger to national security.

And earlier this week it emerged judges had given a lighter sentence to an Afghan for raping an 18 year-old girl so he wouldn’t risk losing refugee residency status.

The Volkskrant reported that in 2017 90 people with official refugee status had their permits withdrawn after being found guilty of a serious crime or forming a threat to public order.