ARNEM, Netherlands – Football club Vitesse Arnhem took 18 points on Friday, as the Netherlands is under investigation for its links with Chelsea's former owner and sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. They will be demoted from Division 1.
Vitesse said in a statement that it will not appeal the penalty imposed by the Dutch Football Federation's licensing committee. The team fell to the second division for the first time in 35 years.
Vitesse were already on the brink of relegation before their points total dropped to -1, leaving them well off the bottom of the Eredivisie table.
The Dutch federation said Vitesse had “repeatedly failed” to meet its financial license requirements.
Vitesse and its Russian owner had a long-standing relationship with Chelsea, which Abramovich owned for nearly 20 years. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the British government forced the sale of Chelsea.
In March 2022, Vitesse were playing eventual champions Roma in the round of 16 of the Europa Conference League. Since then, the Dutch club's fortunes have declined, with former Dutch midfielder Philippe Cocu stepping down as manager in November.
An investigation by British newspaper The Guardian last year suspected that Abramovich had secretly provided Vitesse with more than $100 million in funding.
Abramovich's Chelsea have loaned Vitesse a long list of players over the years, including Nemanja Matic and Mason Mount.