COVID-19: Cyriel Dessers loses top scorer award as Eredivisie voided

Super Eagles’ new boy, Cyriel Dessers, has been denied a monumental personal glory after the Dutch League, Eredivisie, was voided on Friday. 

The Eredivisie became the first league in Europe to cancel their 2019-2020 season due to the rampaging and damaging effects of the novel pandemic, Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. 

“After consulting clubs, players and coaches, and with the approval of the Supervisory Board,  the Professional Football Board has decided to stop the 2019/20 competition, ” an official statement on the league website said. 

With that confirmation from the Football Board, it means there will be no champions or relegation in the Eredivisie this season, which has also affected two Nigerians in the league. 

Dessers, with the latest development, who was sitting atop the scorers’ chart with 15 goals will not be getting the top scorer award for his efforts this season. 

The 25-year-old was joint-top on 15 goals alongside Feyenoord’s very own, Steven Berghuis, who had assisted two more goals than the Heracles Almelo forward. 

Dessers was in superb form for his modest side, Almelo, who were 8th on the log after 25 matches. 

Almelo had scored 40 goals in the league this season, with Dessers contributing 50%, having scored 15 and assisted five more goals.

However, with the league now voided, so have Dessers’ goals and assists this season. 

The talented striker was also denied his Super Eagles debut by COVID-19 after he received his maiden invitation from Gernot Rohr for the hitherto AFCON2021 double-headed qualifier against Sierra Leone in March. 

In a related development, another Nigerian who will forfeit his goals and assists this season in the voided Eredivisie is the little-known winger, Chidera Ejuke.

Fleet-footed wide forward, Ejuke, was also having a superb season for another modest team, Heerenveen, with 9 goals and 4 assists for his club. But that will count for nothing now.

Meanwhile, the duo of Hakim Ziyech and Andre Onana were the most hit by the decision to void the current campaign as they won’t be lifting the title this time around with their club, Ajax.

Ziyech, who is Chelsea-bound, and Cameroonian goalkeeper, Onana, looked poised for another league crown with their Dutch giants but COVID-19 struck and has now put paid to whatever hopes they had.

For 26-year-old Ziyech, it brings to an end his time in Holland as he would be joining Premier League side, Chelsea, this summer ahead of next season, while Onana may be joining him out of Ajax and at Stamford Bridge, too, after links to the Blues and Barcelona.