THE HAGUE, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) — Arnhem-based soccer club Vitesse has lost its license to play professional football in the Netherlands, after a judge in Utrecht on Friday followed an earlier verdict by the Dutch football association KNVB.
The judge ruled that the licensing committee of the KNVB correctly followed the rules and that last week’s decision to revoke the license was made reasonably. As a result, the second-oldest professional club in the Netherlands will definitely have to leave Dutch professional football.
The license was revoked because the KNVB believes the Arnhem-based club has circumvented and undermined the licensing system for years.
“Vitesse was given opportunity after opportunity, but failed to seize it. The club showed no signs of improvement,” the KNVB’s lawyer said in court on Thursday.
Vitesse wanted to convince the judge that the club has its affairs in order for the future. This made no difference to the judge, nor to the KNVB. Thousands of fans watched the verdict on screens across Arnhem, and many fans and key figures of past and present for Vitesse were present in Utrecht.
Vitesse’s matches in the first division, the second tier of Dutch football, for the 2025/2026 season will now be cancelled. Vitesse may restart as an amateur club. This would allow the club to potentially return to professional football in a few years.
“What the future holds for Vitesse is currently unclear,” Vitesse wrote in a statement. “The club is exploring the possibilities. In the meantime, management continues to discuss with stakeholders to ensure the continued existence of football in Arnhem.”
Vitesse was founded in 1892 and was the second-oldest professional club in the Netherlands after Sparta Rotterdam (founded in 1888). Since 1998, the club has had a new stadium, Gelredome, which seats 21,000 spectators.
Vitesse has been present as a professional club since the start of Dutch professional football in 1954. The yellow-black colored played 39 seasons in the Eredivisie, the highest Dutch league. From 1990 to 2002, Vitesse held a steady position in the Dutch sub-top, reaching third place in 1998 as its highest ranking.
Former Dutch internationals Roy Makaay, Pierre van Hooijdonk, and Phillip Cocu are among the well-known former players of the club. Ronald Koeman, Leo Beenhakker and Peter Bosz were among the coaches in Arnhem.
Vitesse lost its professional license one year after being relegated from the Eredivisie in 2024, at a time when mismanagement and massive debts had already brought the club to the brink of collapse. ■