Vitesse: A slow sadness. Relegation battles and the ghosts of the Nieuw Monnikenhuize

Words: Martin de Gooijer

Images: Han Balk

Why are we next to bottom of the table? It’s a long story, just like the history of the club which is the second oldest professional team still going in the Netherlands.

Everything has gone wrong at Vitesse, injuries and poor football. Former player Phillip Cocu resigned as Head Coach and was replaced with old-head Edward Sturing, who has returned for his seventh spell coaching the club.

Last season, Vitesse reached a reasonable 10th place in the Eredivisie but those gains have been quickly lost.

But first we need the back-story.

In the 70’s, Vitesse was a small club playing in the second tier but after Karel Aalbers became chairman in 1984, the club had a period of stability and success, including competing in the UEFA Cup and finishing in third place in the 1997/98 Eredivisie.

Good players such as Roy Makaay, Sander Westerveld, Nikos Machlas came and went.

Aalbers was one of the people with the basic idea for the new stadium, the “GelreDome” that was considered advanced with its retractable pitch, climate control and adjustable roof when completed in 1998.

However, The financial turbulence has been too regular and following Aalbers’ resignation in 2000, a 2010 take-over led by Merab Jordania gave only temporary relief.

Indeed, a 2023 Guardian article alleges that former Chelsea owner and sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich “secretly bankrolled” Vitesse with “€117 loans”. The various Chelsea players sent to Vitesse on loan did seem odd.

It was the war in Ukraine that seemed to end any Russian influence, with latter club owner Valeri Oyf putting Vitesse up for sale in 2022 “in the interests of the club”.

However, the problems did not end there after interest in Vitesse by American investment firm the Common Group was rebuffed by the KNVB in February 2024, with a statement from the Dutch FA saying “ In the opinion of the licensing committee, it has not been shown that Common Group has equity capital and it is not clear whether Common Group has investors. No insight has been given into the origin of the Common Group’s money”.

It seems that there is always too much talk of off the field issues at Vitesse, such as the ownership and the suitability of the stadium, where a €2million rent has proved problematic.

In a twist to the tale, GelreDome owner Michael van de Kuit recently reiterated his plans to take control of Vitesse, revealing that the Russian Oyf still owns the shares and quoting “the lack of realistic options to ensure the continuity of the club”.

Caught in the middle are the fans, who continue to support the black and yellow team proudly, with Vitesse lying second from bottom and five points adrift of RKC Waalwijk.

Of course, it begs the question over what football at Vitesse is for, the supporters and the community or business people and soul-destroying financial transactions?

Some fans have suggested starting again from scratch and truly building a club which represents the people of Arnhem and the spirt of Vitesse, like AFC Wimbledon or FC United of Manchester but it’s not that easy.

Unlike in England, there is no promotion from the Dutch non-League to the second league (Eerste Divisie) so there’s no guarantee a re-formed club would reach the pro levels.

It seems nothing happens quickly at the club with the word for fast in the name anymore. The ghosts of Vitesse’s characterful former home Nieuw Monnikenhuize still linger.

A return from relegation to the second league could be even slower, maybe not at all.