Dutch football assoc. wants veto on club sales after ADO problems

Dutch football association KNVB wants the right to veto the sale of a professional football club, following the troubles ADO Den Haag is facing with its new owner, director Bert van Oostveen said on television program Brandpunt on Tuesday night, the Volkskrant reports. ADO Den Haag is increasingly facing financial difficulties because new owner, Chinese Hui Wang, still has not paid out promised money. The KNVB wants the power to stop this from happening. "Our current frustration is that we can only test afterwards. But by then the deal is done", Van Oosteveen said. The Dutch football association is preparing new regulations to help in these situations. Firstly the KNVB wants to be able to look into prospective club buyers before a deal is made. "For example we would like an integrity check so we know who we are dealing with", Van Oosteveen said. And in extreme situations, the KNVB wants to be able to stop a purchase going through. "Ultimately the licence committee may say: sorry, we deem this sir or madam an inadequate party to take over the club." The KNVB hopes to introduce the new regulations this summer, with the new licensing system.