Vitesse keeps licence as Supreme Court rejects KNVB appeal

Arnhem football club Vitesse will keep its professional licence after the Supreme court dismissed an appeal by the Dutch football association KNVB, ending a long-running dispute that had threatened the future of one of the country’s oldest clubs.

The ruling, delivered on Friday, leaves in place a September 2025 decision by the Arnhem-Leeuwarden court of appeal that ordered Vitesse’s reinstatement. The club can now finish the coming season in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch professional football.

The KNVB revoked Vitesse’s licence in July 2025, saying the club had spent years breaching financial rules and failing to be transparent about its ownership and finances. The court of appeal overturned that decision two months later.

The association then took the case to the Supreme Court in October, saying it wanted clarity on how far judges can review decisions made by sporting bodies. Its most senior legal advisor backed Vitesse in May, and the judges have now followed that advice.

The dispute is not fully over. A separate substantive case over the licence is still before the courts, and the KNVB has not said whether it will pursue it. The club is now owned by a group of regional investors.

“This ruling brings renewed calm after a turbulent period,” said Claudia Lap, chair of the club’s supervisory board, in a statement on the Vitesse website. “It also shows that the course the club has taken is the right one.”