Crowdfunding campaign to save Vitesse reaches 830,000 euros within a day

The crowdfunding effort launched on Thursday to rescue Vitesse Arnhem already raised 830,000 euros by Thursday night. The football club is in danger of being dissolved, and losing its professional license.

The Arnhem club must convince the KNVB licensing committee within two weeks that it is financially healthy enough to play at least next season. Otherwise, it will be declared bankrupt.

Former players and staff members like Guram Kashia, Wilfried Bony, Roy Makaay, Ronald Koeman, Leo Beenhakker, and Henk ten Cate contributed to the crowdfunding campaign. The potential new manager for Vitesse, former player John van den Brom, ceremonially started the crowdfunding effort.

The club has already been relegated for next season, after it was stripped of 18 points for providing false information in ongoing investigations, including those related to whether the club violated Russian sanctions. Vitesse has a total debt of 19 million euros and does not have a new financial backer, after the American businessman Coley Parry's attempted takeover was rejected. Parry said on X that he had also made a donation.

Vitesse's shares are still in the hands of Russian businessman Valeriy Oyf, but he is not giving the club any money. An active involvement in the club's operations could complicate ongoing investigations, and also be a potential criminal offense for the club and those leading the Vitesse organization.