Latest news with #professionallicense
Arab News
08-08-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Vitesse Arnhem lose last bid to save professional status, angering supporters
The Central Netherlands Court rejected the club's appeal to overturn a decision by the Dutch Football Association to revoke their professional licenseDutch media showed images of scuffles in Arnhem city center as supporters gatheredAMSTERDAM: One of the Netherlands' oldest clubs, Vitesse Arnhem, lost a final bid to save their professional license on Friday and were effectively kicked out of the league, sparking fan Central Netherlands Court rejected the club's appeal to overturn a decision by the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) to revoke their professional media showed images of scuffles in Arnhem city center as supporters gathered. One journalist was slapped, the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper reported, as anger was directed against 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 regularise their affairs, including debt reported to be around 14 million euros ($16.3 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 were the first Dutch club to have foreign owners in 2010 when Georgian businessman Merab Jordania took over the club with Russian Valeriy Oyf becoming majority owner in club's financial fortunes changed drastically after sanctions that followed Russia's invasion of decision means Saturday's scheduled match against Almere City has been canceled and leaves the Dutch second division with 19 a statement, Vitesse said they were 'devastated' by the verdict. 'What the future holds is unclear,' the statement said.'The club is exploring options and continues to talk to stakeholders to safeguard football in Arnhem.'Vitesse, who were four-time runners-up in the Dutch league but never won the championship, will be forced to either continue as an amateur club or cease to 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,' said Arnhem's Alderman for Sports Affairs Bob Roelofs.'This is a tragedy for the city, for the supporters, for Vitesse. The city has lost a large part of its DNA.'
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Judge rejects Vitesse appeal: club remains without a professional license
Vitesse received bad news from the court in Utrecht on Friday afternoon, as Voetbal International reports. The club attempted to regain its professional license through summary proceedings, but the court rejected their request. The KNVB's decision therefore stands, and Vitesse are temporarily banned from professional football. VI break down the events. The judge didn't address the merits of the case, but focused primarily on whether the KNVB had adhered to its own rules. According to the ruling, it had. The judge saw no reason to suspend the KNVB's appeals committee's decision. This means Vitesse are not allowed to play against Almere City on Saturday's season opener and are therefore still not part of the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. This is a hard blow for the club, its supporters, and the city of Arnhem – with many fans showing up to the court proceedings. Vitesse had hoped for a final chance to secure its survival. The court acknowledged the social consequences but did not find the KNVB's decision unreasonable or negligent enough to warrant intervention. What exactly will happen to Vitesse remains unclear. Legal proceedings could still follow, but that often takes months. For now, Vitesse face significant uncertainty, without a license and without a league. A future in professional football seems further away than ever. GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield
