Kalou's World Cup bid blocked
BBC FOOTBALL
Ivory Coast-born Salomon Kalou will not be fast-tracked for a Dutch passport and will miss the World Cup finals in Germany starting on 9 June.
Dutch immigration minister Rita Verdonk ruled definitively on Monday that a special article of law covering top foreign sportsmen did not apply to the 20-year-old Feyenoord winger.
Kalou has been supported by Dutch coach Marco van Basten, who had guaranteed him a spot in his World Cup squad.
"It is very disappointing for Salomon," said Van Basten.
"I know that he really wanted to play for the Netherlands during the World Cup."
Verdonk turned down Kalou's request last year but a Rotterdam court ordered her to reconsider as she had failed to substantiate her decision.
She told parliament earlier this month that Kalou did not fulfil the criteria for fast-track citizenship and in May would have to retake a Dutch language and culture test, which he has already failed once.
She also said he had lived in the country for only three years, short of the five-year term normally required to qualify for a Dutch passport.
Kalou rejected several invitations to join the Ivory Coast national squad last year, even though his brother Bonaventure is captain of the team.
Ivory Coast have also qualified for the World Cup and will face the Netherlands in a Group C game in Stuttgart on 16 June.
Argentina and Serbia & Montenegro are also in the group.
