On 3 September, the court ruled in summary proceedings that Vitesse must be provisionally re-admitted to professional football. The former Eredivisie club had their professional licence revoked by the KNVB in June after "structurally evading the licencing system" in the years prior.
During civil court proceedings in August, a judge ruled in favour of the KNVB's decision to revoke Vitesse's licence. Vitesse launched an appeal and won the case in early September, meaning the club were getting their professional licence back and returned to the Dutch second tier.
Vitesse have started their 2025/26 campaign, losing 4-0 to Jong AZ in their first game and grabbing a point away at RKC Waalwijk last Tuesday.
Insufficient grounds
The Arnhem-Leeuwarden court acknowledged that Vitesse had broken the rules, but stated in an explanation published on Wednesday evening that there are insufficient grounds for revoking Vitesse's licence.
The court found it unproven that "Vitesse continued to adopt an uncooperative attitude during the appeal proceedings and that there is a pattern of violation of its duty to provide information that has continued after August 2024."
In a short statement, a KNVB spokesperson stated that the football association will come up with a response and further steps in the near future: "We will carefully study and analyse the fully reasoned judgment and, together with our advisers, map out the possible next steps and consequences."
The Arnhem-Leeuwarden court judged the way the KNVB handled the situation as one in a state of rush, likely caused by the conviction that a decision had to be taken before the professional football season started.
"The speed of the proceedings compromised the principles of proper procedural order. As a result, the current developments surrounding Vitesse (in particular the takeover by the so-called Sterkhouders and the intended new structure of the organisation) were not sufficiently taken into account in the decision-making process."
Shortcomings from the KNVB
Furthermore, the court ruled that Vitesse should not have received a nine-point deduction during the 2024/25 season. The KNVB deducted the points from Vitesse after the club failed to communicate a deal between former owner Coley Parry and prospective owner Guus Franke. The court ruled the deduction invalid because the deal was made between the two investors, and not with Vitesse.
The court stated that the KNVB had wrongfully failed to take the situation around Coley Parry into account in its decision to revoke the licence. The former prospective owner informed Vitesse by email that he would agree to the transfer of shares to the Sterkhouders.
The KNVB felt that this information had been provided too late, but the court deemed this accusation to be unjustified. The court also found that the KNVB Appeals Committee had failed to comply with the fundamental legal principle of hearing both sides of the argument on certain points.
