FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Once part of the European Cups and Dutch elite football, today excluded from football!!! The story of Vitese Arnhem seems like a tragedy. The yellow club has been excluded from Dutch football after the civil court rejected the club's appeal against the decision to revoke its professional license.
This means the club has been relegated from the country's second division, in which it competed last season, with Saturday's match against Almere City cancelled. It is unclear whether the club will be able to continue.
In a statement, Vitesse said the club was “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision. “What the future holds for Vitesse remains unclear at this time.” The decision completes a disastrous fall from grace for Vitesse, one of the oldest football clubs in the Netherlands, which just four years ago was playing in the Conference League against Roma and Tottenham.
The decision to penalise Vitese partly followed a 2023 joint investigation by TBIJ and the Guardian, which found that the club had received at least €117m through a network of companies abroad that led back to Roman Abramovich, who owned Chelsea at the time.
Between 2010 and 2018, Vitesse was owned by Merab Jordania, Aleksandr Chygrinsky and Valeri Oyf, all business associates of Abramovich. Representatives of both clubs have consistently denied any financial connection, despite Chelsea loaning numerous players to Vitesse during that period. Allegations of a connection have already prompted two investigations by the Dutch football association, the KNVB, but neither has been conclusive.
The KNVB (Dutch Football Federation) investigation concluded last year that there were “indications that Abramovich has or had control over Vitesse and that there are risks of sanctions violations and money laundering,” but said it was awaiting the outcome of the government investigation.
At the time, the KNVB temporarily revoked Vitesse's license and deducted the club a historic 18 points, sealing its relegation from the top division for the first time in 35 years. In that case, the club's license was restored in time for the new season after negotiations between the club and the KNVB. But the latest loss of the license is much more serious for the club, which no longer has any possibility of challenging the decision.
In a statement, the KNVB said: "It has become clear how big the impact can be when a club consistently fails to adhere to the licensing system.
"The loss of a professional football club's license is a devastating blow, not only for the club itself, but also for the fans, sponsors, partners, employees and everyone else directly or indirectly involved with Vitesse. We fully understand that this is a painful and very difficult time for them."
Lini një Përgjigje