Appel and Theo Timmermans took the initiative for a charity match for the victims of the North Sea flood of 1953 , between France and Dutch footballers playing abroad . The Dutch players won the match 2-1 . The match was not an official international , because the Dutch players had been suspended from the Dutch national team . The Royal Dutch Football Association did not allow football players to be professionals . This match , however , paved the way for the acceptance of professional football in the Netherlands . Two years later , the ban on professionalism was lifted Appel returned to the Netherlands in 1954 , having been signed by Fortuna '54 as one of the first professional football players in the Dutch league
North Sea flood of 1953
North Sea flood of 1953
Bram Appel