In summary proceedings before the Court of Appeals, Vitesse Arnhem has obtained a suspension of the revocation of its professional license by the Dutch Football Association. However, the future of the club remains uncertain.
With debts of over €14 million, an 18-point deduction, relegation from the top flight after 35 years and the withdrawal of its professional license, Vitesse Arnhem has been going through one of the darkest periods in its 133-year history for over a year now. A phase that seemed to culminate in a fresh start in amateur football at the beginning of August, when the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) rejected the 2017 cup winner’s appeal against the withdrawal of its license.
However, just four weeks later, there seems to be new hope for all those who support Vitesse. As the Dutch announced on Wednesday, the club has obtained a suspension of the license revocation in summary proceedings before the Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal. The main proceedings are still ongoing, but until a verdict is reached, the club will be granted a license. In other words: “The KNVB must allow Vitesse to play professional soccer.”
Independent supervisory board and new statutes planned
“The club has worked intensively in recent months to restructure and secure its future,” according to the club statement, in which the Arnhem-based club also outlines the next steps: “A new, independent supervisory board will now be appointed as soon as possible, and Vitesse intends to adapt its articles of association to the new restructuring plan as quickly as possible.”
Michel Schaay, chairman of the Vitesse shareholders, will play a central role in this process. For him, the ruling gives those responsible “breathing space and perspective”: “We are very pleased that the court recognizes the seriousness of the situation and has suspended the decisions.” The task now is to “continue to work with all our might for the future of Vitesse” and, in doing so, to seek talks with the KNVB “to ensure that Vitesse and its stakeholders make the right decisions.”
Entry into the second division possible?
What happens next? Despite the court-ordered suspension of the license revocation, Arnhem’s sporting future is by no means secure. The Dutch second division has already started playing—without Vitesse. Four games have been played, and on Friday, September 12, the fifth match day of the Keuken Kampioen Divisie will begin.
Added to this is the unclear personnel situation in Arnhem. The club’s official website lists a 19-man squad, but this is partly made up of last season’s squad, the majority of whom left the club in the summer. One example is striker Andy Visser, who moved to Duisburg.
It therefore remains to be seen whether and in what form Vitesse Arnhem will participate in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. In principle, however, the club could be reintegrated. After all, the matches played so far with Arnhem’s participation have simply been canceled, and the 20th and last place in the league has not been transferred to another club.
In any case, in the Netherlands, only second teams can be relegated from the league. Of the four youth teams, which are also not eligible for promotion, the worst of an internal ranking of the four teams can be relegated to the Tweede Divisie if they finish lower than 10th in the final table. All other teams cannot be relegated in this closed system.
This is another reason why Vitesse can continue to hope. However, there still seems to be a long way to go before the club can participate in competitive play again. Or as the club itself says: “This ruling is a joint step forward, but the process towards the future is not yet complete.” So it remains exciting.
