Vitesse lost the important appeal against the KNVB on Thursday regarding the professional license, which means only the judge can save the Arnhem club from collapse. NU.nl spoke with two loyal fans about the impact and their unforgettable moments with the club.
For Leroy Verhaar (28), it feels like a blow. “You knew news was coming and the tension was already building on Thursday. When I got the notification, I had a terrible evening.”
“In our Vitesse fan group app, things went crazy. I got messages from fellow fans asking how I was doing, but actually my brain wasn’t functioning anymore.”
Vitesse is now hoping for a miracle through the civil court. “For me, it feels like it’s over,” says Verhaar. “The decision of the KNVB is logical if you look at it in black and white, but it feels unfair. Vitesse does a lot in the social field and, in my opinion, means a lot to the Netherlands.”
Verhaar is from Alkmaar and lives around the corner from the AFAS Stadium of AZ. He has nothing to do with Arnhem, but in the past he was attracted to Vitesse when he saw players like Lasse Nilsson, Matthew Amoah, Claudemir and Theo Janssen playing in the yellow-black shirt.
Special memories
Verhaar remembers how as a little boy he wasn’t allowed to go to Vitesse matches because it was a two-hour journey. “When I was sixteen, the time had finally come: I got my first half season ticket and have never left since.”
Verhaar experienced special moments as a supporter. For example, in 2017 he saw his club win the KNVB Cup for the first time in history by beating AZ 2-0. He was also in the stadium earlier that season when Arnold Kruiswijk scored his first and only goal in professional football after 25,318 minutes.
“I was also there when we lost to AS Roma in injury time in the eighth finals of the Conference League in the 2021/2022 season. Since then, things have gone downhill with the club, both on and off the field.”
For Verhaar, Vitesse is not just a football club. “There is a social aspect to it, especially because I am not from here. Through the club I have met strangers who I now see as family.”
Not only Verhaar, but also Niek de Beus (48) experiences the loss of Vitesse as personal suffering.
From his tent on vacation, he heard the bad news on Thursday evening about the loss of the license. “You feel angry and disappointed.” According to De Beus, this decision was unnecessary. “Too much attention is paid to the past and too little to the future.”
“We have already been punished with point deductions, so taking away the license doesn’t feel fair. I think that with the help of local regional financiers, who previously made a last-ditch attempt to save Vitesse from collapse, steps have been taken towards a stable future.”
Revenge against De Graafschap
His experience as a Vitesse fan goes back to 1998, when he took out his first season ticket. He kept it until 2002. After that, De Beus could no longer combine it with his work. “Since the 2023/2024 season I have had a season ticket again, together with my son. We go to all home and sometimes away matches.”
What De Beus remembers most is the double match with De Graafschap last season. After the lost away match, approximately thirty Vitesse supporters fell ill in the bus, presumably due to inhaled smoke from De Graafschap supporters.
“My son inhaled smoke at the time and had a headache the next day. In the home match we took revenge by winning 2-0.”
De Beus saw Vitesse play against Internazionale in the UEFA Cup in 2000 and has experienced players such as Pierre van Hooijdonk, Nikos Machlas and Mason Mount. But all those beautiful moments now seem to be coming to an end.
“Although the chance is small, I still have confidence in the civil court. I think that with regional financiers we are still viable. I hope they look to the future and realize that many families and thousands of supporters depend on the club.”