The traditional Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem is threatened with a fall into sporting insignificance. The Eredivisie relegated club has had its professional license revoked
A mere six points after 34 games at the end of the 2023/24 season – and thus unsurprisingly last place in the table. In purely sporting terms, Vitesse Arnhem collected significantly more points, but repeated breaches of licensing regulations resulted in the club being deducted a whopping 18 points.
Although Vitesse would have been relegated after 35 years in the Eredivisie even with these 18 more points, even a return to the second tier is no longer certain: the Dutch soccer association KNVB has revoked the professional license of the traditional club. This threatens the 2017 cup winners with a fall into sporting insignificance.
No surprise for interim managing director Reijntjes
The association cited the lack of a bank account and an auditor as reasons for the licensing committee’s decision. A balanced budget could also not be submitted on time. The consequences of these shortcomings come as no surprise to those responsible
“We expected this decision. We were not able to provide the necessary information in time,” said interim managing director Edwin Reijntjes, who announced that he would nevertheless appeal immediately.
A “fantastic entrepreneur” from the region to help
Hopes are pinned on an investor. According to Reijntjes, a “fantastic entrepreneur” from the region has been found who has “sympathy for the club”: “Hopefully we will receive good news from the licensing and appeals committee in a few weeks’ time and can finally move forward.”
Vitesse certainly has the support of the fans, but so far it has not been enough. Well over one million euros was raised in a fundraising campaign by supporters, but the club’s debt is over 14.3 million euros. The club only wants to use the fans’ money if it actually receives the license for the second division
