Investigation into ties of ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich with Vitesse leads to deduction of 18 points and relegation

Dutch club Speed has been reduced by 18 points by the independent licensing committee of the Dutch Football Association (KNFB) because it has repeatedly failed to meet the requirements of the licensing regulations. It is a record deduction from the KNFB and one that places Vitesse bottom of the Eredivisie on -1 points with just four games remaining, sealing relegation for the club where American Paxten Aaronson is currently on loan.

In a statement released following the sanctions, Vitesse announced that it would not appeal against the points deduction.

“A points penalty had been hanging over the club’s head for some time. After previously receiving a fine of 100,000 euros – for failure to report the termination of the banking relationship by Revolut – such a penalty seemed inevitable.” said the club statement. “After all, the club was unable to meet certain licensing requirements. For example, Vitesse did not provide the half-yearly figures correctly, acted towards the ING Bank and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and the Wladimiroff report could not demonstrate whether or not there are links between Vitesse and Roman Abramovich.”

These may not be the only sanctions, as the licensing committee will also assess other possible violations after receiving more information from Vitesse. A restructuring plan has also been submitted by the club that has caused Dutch football to plummet in recent years after playing in the Europa Conference League in March 2022. For the time being, Vitesse retains its license to operate as a club, but depending on the restructuring plan approved by the KNFB, this could change in the future.

Head coach Phillip Cocu resigned as coach in November and the club is winless in their last seven games since the defeat to Excelsior at the end of February.

Long-standing questions surrounding Vitesse ownership

Vitesse has had ties with Chelsea for almost twenty years, since the London club was managed by Roman Abramovich. Vitesse was the frequent destination for Chelsea loanees with players like Mason Mountain spend time there to gain experience. With the sanctions against Abramovich and the sale of Chelsea afterwards That of Russia invasion of Ukraine, there were then reports that Abramovich secretly financed the Dutch club with more than €117 million.

The Guardian reported this that despite the KNFB’s failure in previous investigations to uncover a link between Abromavich and Vitesse, documentation leaked by a Cyprus-based offshore service provider MeritSerus revealed Abramovich’s secret financing for the Vitesse takeover brought light.

There is an investigation led by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate into Abramovich’s ties with the club, but that investigation is led by a different area than the one imposing the points deduction.

“Because the ministry monitors compliance with the sanctions, it is not up to the licensing commission to determine whether there are conflicting ties with Abramovich.” The KNFB reported this in a statement. “The licensing committee concludes from the investigation report by Wladimiroff Advocaten that there are indications that Abramovich has or has had control over Vitesse and that there are risks of sanction violation and money laundering and therefore considers it important to await the ministry’s investigation.”

Regarding the restructuring plan, the KNFB is waiting for changes from the club that will determine the future of Vitesse.