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| EPAYonhap News |
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| EPAYonhap News |
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Vitesse, a 133-year-old Dutch club, has simply died and survived.
The British daily 'Guardian' reported on the 3rd (local time) that the Dutch Royal Football Association (KNVB) received a dramatic suspension after an appeals court rejected the decision to revoke Vitesse's professional license.
Vitesse faced a possible exit last month after a Utrecht civil court ruled in favor of KNVB. Earlier, KNVB cut 18 points during the 2023-2024 season on the grounds that Vitesse violated its licensing system. Vitesse, who was demoted to the second division of Ayrster Divisi, finished the lowest (20th) in Ayrster Divisi after additional points reduction measures last season, and was deprived of his professional license in July after the season.
'KNVB' explained that it is due to 'misleading behavior, lack of transparency, and attempts to bypass and undermine the system'. Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich secretly funded Vitesse over the years while owning Chelsea, according to leaked documents. During this time, Chelsea sent Mason Mount, Armando Broja and others on loan to Vitesse, who were nicknamed 'Chelsea B team" and 'Chelsea 2nd lieutenant"
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| EPAYonhap News |
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KNVB decided that a local consortium called 'Sterkuds' was taking over to rescue the club, but it was not enough to prevent the club from being culled. The Utrecht Civil Court also accepted the argument of 'KNVB'. Vitesse said he would participate in the fourth division, but even that was not possible.
But on the 3rd, Vitesse miraculously survived. Experts predicted that Vitesse had a less than 1% chance of succeeding in the appeal, but the appeals court found that the lower court was under considerable time pressure and could not make a careful decision. As it was impossible to reasonably decide to deprive unconditional licenses, KNVB ordered 'Vitesse to rejoin the professional game immediately'
Vitesse fans cheered with tears of joy at the court's decision. The streets of Vitesse were stained with yellow waves. Vitesse, president of the Supporters' Association, told the Guardian "It's ridiculous and happy. It was like a roller coaster."
Vitesse is dreaming of returning to the Ayrster Divisi at a time when the league has already played four games. But specific plans are still uncertain. Theoretically, he could return through the fifth round on September 12 or 13, but setting up a squad doesn't seem easy. Many players left the team.
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| Source=Alexander Wutner SNS |
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But former Manchester United defender Alex Wutner is one of the players left in the team to the end. In an interview with the local newspaper 'de Gelderlander"I get goosebumps all over my body. People worked really hard on this. We have suffered so much in recent weeks."
Wutner, a former Vitesse youth who made his professional debut in Vitesse and played for Manchester United for two years from 2012 to 2014, returned to Vitesse twice in 2017 and 2024. Wutner, who returned to Vitesse in 2024 after going through Manchester United and Dynamo Moscow, continued "I've always said I won't leave Vitesse. Ten other clubs specifically suggested, but thought 'I'd rather quit football than leave now'."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
