Vitesse is facing major problems again. The KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association) wants to withdraw the professional license of the Arnhem club because they do not comply with the rules of the football association.
The KNVB licensing committee suspects that the American investor Coley Parry has been involved with Vitesse again since the foreign takeover in January, while this is expressly prohibited by the football association.
Vitesse has been given the opportunity to prove otherwise in recent months but has consistently submitted incomplete documents to the KNVB. After two point deductions, bringing Vitesse’s total to 39 penalty points, the club from the Keuken Kampioen Divisie (Dutch second-tier league) is facing the most severe possible sanction.
The KNVB licensing committee rules that Vitesse, “despite firm commitments,” has continued “to circumvent and evade the licensing system.” According to the body, Vitesse “systematically evades” the licensing system.
The licensing committee’s proposed decision means that Vitesse will, in principle, not be allowed to play professional football next season, but this does not mean the end of the club. Vitesse may still respond to the decision of the football association.
New twist in Protracted crisis
If the licensing committee’s decision becomes final, the club can appeal to the KNVB appeals committee. This is precisely how Vitesse obtained a professional license last year after a turbulent summer, after it was initially withdrawn by the KNVB.
Should the club lose the possible appeal procedure, the second oldest professional club in the Netherlands (since 1892) will cease to exist definitively. Vitesse may then continue as an amateur club, but bankruptcy is then inevitable.
For Vitesse, the proposed decision is a new dramatic twist in a three-year-long financial, administrative, and sporting crisis. The club said in January that it was rid of all problems when five foreigners took over the club, but the opposite turned out to be true.
Soon there were rumors that Parry was involved in the takeover by the Americans Dane Murphy and Flint Reilly, the Germans Timo Braasch and Leon Müller, and the Italian Bryan Mornaghi. The latter turned out to be an old classmate of Parry. According to De Telegraaf, Parry even searched for funds for Vitesse with Murphy.
The five foreigners emphatically denied that Parry still exerted influence on Vitesse. They said that they had only contacted Parry at the beginning of this year to buy off Vitesse’s debt to the American. This amounted to 17 million euros at the end of last season.
Owners Circumvented Licensing Committee
There were no problems around the takeover yet because the new owners each took over less than 25 percent of the club’s shares. An investigation is not mandatory in that case according to the rules of the KNVB.
The licensing committee decided to investigate Parry’s possible involvement with Vitesse. The committee members now conclude that Vitesse has not fulfilled the promises regarding the involvement of the American investor.
As an example, the licensing committee cites that the supervisory board of Vitesse was dismissed from their positions at “a crucial moment” and not replaced. That was even before the five foreigners took over the club.
The committee also finds that the foundation that was supposed to supervise Vitesse’s shares “could not” properly do its job. The “Stichting Vitesse voor Altijd” (Vitesse Forever Foundation), which included former Ajax chairman John Jaakke, was abolished on the day of the takeover.
Chaos Reigns at Vitesse
Braasch criticized the KNVB’s actions at a long-awaited press presentation last week and said that Vitesse had reached the point of contesting the decisions of the football association. He said he was 100 percent sure that Vitesse would have a professional license next season.
Braasch’s statements did not bring calm back to the workplace. There has been chaos for months. Trainer John van den Brom was told two weeks ago that he had to leave, while he said he had not heard anything from Braasch for months.
The new owners want to put together a completely new staff and selection, in which there is little room for club people. Club icon and assistant Nicky Hofs had already received a dismissal letter, and assistant Gery Vink, goalkeeper trainer Max de Jong, and physical trainer Chima Onyeike must also leave.