ANPVitesse supporters between hope and fear
NOS Voetbal•gisteren, 17:50
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Sander Maassen van den Brink
follows Vitesse for NOS Sport
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Sander Maassen van den Brink
follows Vitesse for NOS Sport
Vitesse submitted a budget on Wednesday without Guus Franke’s money, the lawyer of the Gelderland investor reports. The businessman received additional questions from the KNVB licensing committee on Tuesday evening regarding the origin of his money.
“This makes it practically impossible to complete the procedure before the start of the competition and to retain the club for professional football,” Franke said in a statement.
Vitesse will most likely hear on Thursday whether the club will continue to exist next season and will be allowed to compete in the first division.
Plan B
Vitesse had to submit a balanced budget to the KNVB’s professional committee before 12:00 on Wednesday afternoon and hoped that Franke had already been approved as the new owner.
That is not yet the case, but the Arnhem club does state that all the necessary documents have been delivered on time. That budget will therefore have to be made balanced by other funds than those of Franke.
With a ‘Plan B’ Vitesse hoped for money from business club members and business people. They would then have to cover the deficit for the coming season.
‘KNVB still needs eight weeks’
Vitesse wants to put forward Franke, owner of the Swiss company Axiom Partners, to the KNVB as the new owner, but before he can take over the shares, the entrepreneur’s (money) will be investigated.
Franke’s lawyer says that he submitted the necessary papers to the KNVB almost three weeks ago, but had not received any response until yesterday.
ANPInterim director Edwin Reijntjes of Vitesse
According to the lawyer of the Gelderland businessman, the licensing committee will need at least another eight weeks before they can make a judgement about Franke. The entrepreneur himself thinks that is taking too long.
“We have also invested a lot of time, energy and money in this. We are now considering our position.”
Parry’s Million Dollar Debt
The Arnhem football club is still struggling with a debt to the American Coley Parry, who was rejected by the KNVB as a possible takeover candidate.
Franke made a deal with him, but because the owner of Axiom Partners has not yet been able to take over Vitesse, the club is still struggling with a debt of at least 14 million euros.
The Telegraph reports that the American is abandoning his claim to that money for a year, so that Vitesse could still get a license next season.
