Dutch football strips Vitesse of 18 points for slowing Russia sanctions investigation

The Dutch national football association, KNVB, sanctioned Vitesse by slashing 18 match points from the Eredivisie team’s total on allegations that the club consistently violated rules regarding its professional license. The KNVB accused the club of providing inaccurate information, and withholding information during investigations to determine if the club violated international sanctions against Russia, a spokesperson for the association confirmed to NL Times. The Arnhem-based club has been rumored in the past to have deep ties to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

“The Arnhem club receives this punishment because it has repeatedly failed to meet the requirements of the licensing regulations over a longer period of time,” the KNVB wrote. The decision will drop the men’s team from 17 points after 30 matches, down to -1 points with four matches remaining. Already in last place, the penalty practically guarantees their relegation to the Eerste Divisie next season, after 35 seasons in the top-flight Eredivisie.

“The amount of the sanction is based on the exceptional seriousness and extent of the violations of the licensing system. This includes providing incorrect information that was important for the forensic investigation into possible violations of sanctions legislation, and withholding information important for the assessment of Vitesse’s continuity.”

The team has not yet been stripped of its license, a requirement to participate in the professional football leagues in the Netherlands. However, the club could face additional punishments, since it remains under investigation regarding other possible violations.

Vitesse has the option to appeal, but said it will not do so. It recently was slapped with a 100,000 euro fine for misrepresenting its relationship to financial institutions Revolut and ING Bank.

Organizational and compliance concerns have plagued Vitesse, especially since Russia intensified its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the time, the team was in the hands of Russian businessman Valeriy Oyf, who became a shareholder in 2010, took a majority position in 2018. Alexander Chigirinsky owned the team before Oyf, and Merab Jordania before him.

All three have close ties to Abramovich, the former owner of London football club Chelsea who is currently on the European Union’s Russian sanctions list. This prevents Dutch companies and people from working with those on the list under most circumstances. The nature of the rumored relationship between Abramovich and Vitesse is also being investigated by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, which the KNVB said is responsible for monitoring compliance with EU sanctions.

The KNVB’s licensing committee did conclude “that there are indications that Abramovich has or has had control over Vitesse, and that there are risks of sanctions violations and money laundering, and therefore considers it important to await the ministry’s investigation.” The conclusion was drawn from an external report drawn up by law firm Wladimiroff Advocaten.

While he held control of Chelsea, Abramovich allegedly used a Byzantine system to pour 117 million euros into Vitesse, according to documents leaked to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and The Guardian. Questions over the true owner of the club led to investigations by the KNVB in 2010 and 2014.

Any proven link between Abramovich and the Arnhem club would be controversial, not only because of possible sanctions violations and a deeper look into claims of money laundering. As the owner of Chelsea, Abramovich may have run afoul of European football regulations by holding a stake in two teams with the prospect of competing against each other. Both clubs were in the Europa League in the 2012-13 and 2018-19 seasons.

One of the KNVB investigations into the club was triggered when Jordania made controversial comments in 2014 after leaving the Arnhem club. “I want to tell the Vitesse supporters the real story,” he stated. “I wanted to reach for the title, but ‘London’ didn’t want that in the end. Ambition is fine, but Vitesse is not allowed to reach the Champions League.”

The loss of 18 points and the financial penalty is grim, but interim CEO Edwin Reijntjes asked Vitesse fans to look at the positive side. “Although this is a dark day for everything and everyone who cares about Vitesse, this is the harsh reality. After all, such a punishment was inevitable. On the other hand – and I really want to make this clear to everyone – we are extremely happy with the opportunity that is being offered to us to retain our license. This too was hanging by a thread.”

Oyf said a month after the Russian invasion in 2022 that he intended to sell his shares in Vitesse. A deal was announced later that year with The Common Group in the United States, but the takeover was blocked by the KNVB in February out of concern for the American firm's financial position.

The club plans to discuss the situation further with the media next Wednesday in Arnhem.