Court of appeals rules in favor of Vitesse, club regains pro license
Vitesse has been given their professional license back. The Court of Appeals in Arnhem ruled in the football club’s favor regarding the revocation of their license by the Dutch football association (KNVB), the court reported. The decision means that Vitesse can once again play in the Dutch professional leagues.
In early August, a summary court judge ruled that the KNVB was indeed allowed to revoke the professional license after the KNVB revoked Vitesse’s professional license in July 2025 due to repeated and structural violations of the licensing system. The club had previously committed to stopping these violations but failed to do so. According to the KNVB, the issues involved a pattern of misleading behavior, lack of transparency, and attempts to circumvent and undermine the system.
This led to Vitesse taking the case to the KNVB appeals committee and a summary court judge, but they ruled in the football association’s favor. After many failed takeover attempts, a group of local businessmen, called the Sterkhouders, agreed on a deal to take over the club in January, which Vitesse hopes will bring stability.
“The court considers it likely that, in the main proceedings initiated by Vitesse, it will be ruled that the decisions of the Licensing Committee and Appeals Committee cannot stand. This is because they were made under significant time pressure and therefore were not reached with the utmost care,” the Court of Appeals Arnhem-Leeuwarden said.
“Such care was necessary because the sanction involved is the most severe that can be imposed on a professional football club. The court also finds, at least provisionally, that the committees could not reasonably have decided on an unconditional revocation of the professional license when weighing all interests. This is because the court views certain violations of the regulations, on which the decisions were based, differently," the statement read.
The court added that a full account of the reasoning will be published as soon as possible.
There were tears of joy at Papendal, Vitesse’s training complex, on Wednesday after the news. The club will now prepare to start its season in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football.
It will be a significant challenge, as many Vitesse players were allowed to leave the club on free transfers after the summary court proceedings had gone in the KNVB’s favor.
Club icon Edward Sturing spoke to De Gelderlander, “This is incredible, it’s a huge celebration here. I’m at Papendal and had given up hope. But now I feel euphoric. People are crying, we still exist, we can go on! This also means so much to the staff who keep their jobs, to the city of Arnhem, where Vitesse flags have been raised, and to our supporters."
Sturing added that the club have no knowledge of when they will be able to play again or what lies ahead. "It will be intense, no problem. Even if I have to put a stretcher down here, we will work hard for it. But first, we’re going to celebrate.”
Vitesse also issued an official response to the positive news for the club. “This ruling gives us breathing space and perspective,” said Michel Schaay, chairman of the Sterkhouders group that is working to save the club.
“We are extremely pleased that the court has recognized the seriousness of the situation and has suspended the decisions,” Schaay said. “We will continue to fully commit ourselves to Vitesse’s future. Our next step is to engage with the KNVB to ensure that the right decisions are made by Vitesse and its stakeholders.”
Vitesse says it intends to consult with the KNVB in the near future regarding the further implications of the ruling.
