Vitesse Arnhem loses last bid to save pro status
One of Netherlands' oldest clubs, Vitesse Arnhem, has lost a final bid to save its professional licence and was effectively kicked out of the league as a result, sparking fan protests.
The Central Netherlands Court rejected the club’s appeal to overturn a decision by the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) to revoke its professional licence.
Dutch media showed images of scuffles in Arnhem city centre as supporters gathered. One journalist was slapped, the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper reported, as anger was directed against media.
The court upheld the KNVB decision after the football association said the club had circumvented and undermined the licensing system for years and had spurned repeated opportunities to regulate its affairs, including debt reported to be around €14 million ($25 million).
The club, established in 1892, had been sanctioned last year and relegated to the Dutch second division because of financial irregularities, which the KNVB said included the absence of a bank account, the absence of a controlling accountant, and the fact that no conclusive budget could be provided.
Vitesse was the first Dutch club to have a foreign owner in 2010 when Georgian businessman Merab Jordania took over the club with Russian Valeriy Oyf becoming majority owner in 2018.
The club’s financial fortunes changed drastically after sanctions that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The decision means this weekend's scheduled match against Almere City has been cancelled and leaves the Dutch second division with 19 clubs.
In a statement, a Vitesse announced it was “devastated” by the verdict. “What the future holds is unclear,” the statement read.
“The club is exploring options and continues to talk to stakeholders to safeguard football in Arnhem.”
Vitesse, which was a four-time runner-up in the Dutch league but never won the championship, will be forced to either continue as an amateur club or cease to exist.
The Dutch league has two divisions, but there is no mandatory promotion and relegation between the second tier of the professional competition and the amateur ranks.
“The worst-case scenario has come true," Arnhem’s Alderman for Sports Affairs Bob Roelofs said.
"This is a tragedy for the city, for the supporters, for Vitesse. The city has lost a large part of its DNA."
