The Keuken Kampioen Divisie will continue with nineteen teams if Vitesse definitively disappears, the KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association) told NU.nl upon request. Vitesse lost the appeal on Thursday regarding the professional license, making it highly likely that the club from Arnhem will disappear.
Vitesse can only obtain the professional license from the court. It is not yet clear whether the club will file a summary proceeding against the KNVB, but that chance is quite high. Vitesse has previously stated that it will use all means to continue to exist.
Should Vitesse also lose the lawsuit and thus definitively disappear from professional football, the club will not be replaced in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. According to the KNVB, there are no reserve teams or amateur clubs that can take Vitesse’s place.
In the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, there is a limit of four reserve teams. That has already been reached with the participation of Jong Ajax, Jong PSV, Jong AZ, and Jong FC Utrecht. Moreover, there is no amateur club that can or wants to meet the KNVB’s licensing requirements within a week.
Due to the KNVB’s decision, one team will have a bye in each round. There can also be no relegation from the Keuken Kampioen Divisie this season. The best two teams will be automatically promoted to the Eredivisie. The four period winners and the two best teams without a period title will play play-offs.
The new season in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie starts next week Friday. According to current planning, Vitesse would start the competition a day later with an away match against relegated Almere City. Before that time, there will probably have to be clarity about the fate of the club from Arnhem.