Arnhem football club Vitesse is at risk of losing its professional licence for the second time, after failing to meet conditions set by the Dutch football association.
The KNVB said in a statement on Friday that the licencing committee had reached a preliminary conclusion because “Vitesse has been systematically circumventing the licencing system”.
“Despite firm commitments made by the club in the summer of 2024 — when it was already at risk of losing its licence — it has continued to evade and bypass the licencing requirements,” the KNVB said.
These requirements included proper oversight of potential new owners, which the club failed to meet, the KNVB said.
In addition, the Dutch football association said an independent foundation set up last year to reduce the risk of sanctions and money laundering was unable to function properly and was dissolved halfway through the season.
In January the club was taken over by a group of five investors following a period of financial chaos and disputed ownership. The five — two Americans, two Germans, and one Italian – were reported at the time to have jointly bought the club’s €17 million debt from its biggest creditor Coley Parry.
Parry stepped into keep the club afloat after Vitesse was put up for sale by its Russian owner, Valery Oyf, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Attempts to sell the club since then have failed.
Vitesse said in a short statement that it would study the KNVB’s 40-page report closely.
“At this point, we can only stress that this concerns a draft decision,” the club said. “The club has been invited by the licensing committee to present its views at a hearing. We will, of course, make use of that opportunity.”
Vitesse, the second-oldest professional club in the Netherlands, had its licence withdrawn by the KNVB last June after failing to submit a budget for the coming season, but won it back on appeal.
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