Former Ukraine midfielder Yevhen Levchenko commented on the problems of the Dutch Vitesse.
Yevhen Levchenko- What was your reaction to the news that 18 points had been deducted from Vitesse?
- I knew Vitesse were in big trouble. There were all the prerequisites to punish Vitesse as much as possible. It is very unpleasant, painful to accept, but it is a fact.
In recent years, Vitesse has been undergoing a complete management change. We see that there are no arguments left to keep the club in the Eredivisie. They hid the information about the origin of the club's funding until the very end.
It's a very sad story. I played for Vitesse for 5 years. I communicate quite often with people at the club. But even a team with such a great history can get into such a situation. The licensing commission wanted to show other clubs that this is not the way to do things. In the Netherlands, no one will turn a blind eye.
I have seen the events unfold around the club. I have good contact with the club's captain, Marco van Ginkel. Mismanagement and negative results are the result of what is happening in Arnhem.
- Have there been similar situations in the Netherlands before?
- Yes. I can give you examples of Twente, but they ended up with big fines. So did Den Bosch. These things happen, but if you don't provide any documents, you will have a long way to go to get back to the Eredivisie.
Now Vitesse has appointed Edwin Reintjes, who previously worked at ADO Den Hag, as technical director. He has a clear plan, but it depends on the club's owner. At the moment, Vitesse is owned by Valery Oif (a Russian billionaire born in Odesa who owns Vitesse - author). If we turn a blind eye to this, it will be very unpleasant for the conscious part of society, which is disturbed by the presence of Russian financial influence in their country.
- What is the amount of the Arnhem club's debt?
- More than 30 million euros. The contracts of 15-16 players are coming to an end. They are no longer an asset of the club. The club does not have its own stadium. They rent the Gelredome from the local authorities of Arnhem. The municipality has a bad relationship with the club because they have fucked everything up, to put it bluntly. If they can't manage the club, how can they do business with them?
The stadium itself is completely independent of Vitesse, because due to its multifunctionality, they can hold anything there - from exhibitions, e-tournaments to music festivals. The stadium does not depend on Vitesse, and Vitesse does not depend on the stadium.
- The team, which was consistently among the participants in European competitions, demonstrated complete helplessness both in terms of sports and management. How could this have been avoided?
- A few months ago, Vitesse was fined 100,000 euros, but this did not make them take up their heads. This shows what level of management the club has. Now Vitesse has -1 point. If you look at the decision of the licensing commission, they said that this sanction may not be the last one if the club does not take action. It could be both financial and sporting sanctions.
- Everyone knows that Vitesse has had links with Chelsea for a long time. Why did they take on Valery Auf only now and not earlier?
- Vitesse hasn't shown any information about the change of ownership in recent times. Valery Oif allegedly sold the club to the Americans, but we have not seen any documentary evidence of changes in the ownership structure. An investigation is currently underway into Roman Abramovich's possible involvement in the financing of Vitesse. Such a club cannot be in the elite division.
In the Netherlands, all clubs must submit all documents to the relevant authorities before each season. "Vitesse said that it was in the process of changing ownership, but the American side did not provide any information on where its wealth came from. This is very important for the Netherlands. "Vitesse was forgiven a lot, turned a blind eye, given time, given that the club has been playing in the Eredivisie for 35 years.
We discussed this issue with the Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB), how our union would defend the interests of the players. I felt that Vitesse would be taken seriously.
- Zhenya, for the second year in a row, the clubs you played for have been relegated from the Eredivisie. Now it's Vitesse, and a year ago the same fate befell Groningen, which also had a lot of problems.
- These are two different stories, because Vitesse hit rock bottom, which swallowed the club. Two former players I played with, Mark-Jan Flederus and Wouter Gudde, came to Groningen. They were inexperienced. Unlike Vitesse, there was complete openness in their work, but Flederus and Gudde underestimated their skills. They put one coach in charge and it didn't work. They appointed another, who showed himself well in the winter training camp, and then failed because of player injuries.
Before that, Groningen was doing great, making money on transfers. They have the financial means to return to the previous level, they are now playing good football under Dick Lukkien. Groningen can still go straight to the top of the Eredivisie, with a minimal gap between Willem II and Rhodes. They are not as bad as Vitesse, who have debts, players and complete unprofessionalism.
I was upset about Groningen's relegation a year ago, but I realised that they had great youngsters and experienced guys like Joey Pelupessi and Hiddé Jurjus. "Vitesse won't even be able to get paid for the players who will leave as free agents.
- Is the Dutch Footballers' Union (VVCS), which you head, ready to get involved in Vitesse?
- Every week I talk to the captains of all the teams to understand the situation at each club. I am in constant contact with Marco van Ginkel because I know that Vitesse have had problems in the past. Sports problems lead to financial problems.
If there are problems with salary payments, our qualified lawyers are ready to step in. We already know what we will do if Vitesse players are not paid on 25th of this month and we will help them. We have no intention of twisting Vitesse's arm, but we will defend the players' interests.
Through van Ginkel, I conveyed a message to the Vitesse players that I understand the complete lack of motivation when 18 points are taken away from you, but there are still 4 matches to play in which you need to prove yourself in order to get a good offer in the off-season. Motivation was already critical, and now it's a complete collapse. The guys need to play, sell themselves or stay in the Erste Divisie, challenge themselves and try to get back to the top flight.
- During your time playing for Vitesse, were there any complaints about the licence or transparency of funding?
- If there is peace in the club, good management, the team will also show results. This cannot stand alone, although we know examples, particularly in our football. When Karl Aalbers was the owner, we also had fluctuations, but he set up the vertical correctly and built a new stadium. I caught the moment when Vitesse played at the old Nieuw Monnikenhuize stadium and then moved to the Gelredome.
A lot of sponsors came in. Back then, the club could afford to invite Dejan Churovic, Nikolaos Mahlas, Orlando Trusfull for good salaries and the team was ranked 4th-5th, playing in European competitions under the leadership of Henk ten Kate. Those were the golden days of Vitesse. Then everything went downhill. In recent years, the team has lost its identity and management.
- There are probably still people at the club whom you still know?
- About a month ago, I was at a kickboxing night at the Gelredome, where Rico Verheyven was the headliner. I went into his dressing room and told him: "20 years ago, this was my dressing room". It was great to meet people I had crossed paths with back when I played for Vitesse.
- Will Vitesse be able to get out of external administration and quickly find an owner who will help the club clean up its reputation?
- The Dutch taught me one expression: "You have to make sure your ship is clean". I think these words are very relevant for Vitesse. Letting go of players with expensive contracts, betting on youngsters and inviting capable managers who can show a high KPI in these conditions.
It is very important that they provide all the documents on the club's owner, where the money comes from. In the Netherlands, this is considered the most important point if the club is in the process of changing ownership. The Americans stalled and did nothing to keep Vitesse afloat.
The situation is very complicated and difficult. If the club is relegated from the Eredivisie, it loses 7-8 million euros from TV rights and other income. Edward Sturing, who is currently coaching Vitesse, has taken over the team in a crisis for the fourth or fifth time. Everyone makes fun of him for sinking to the bottom again. We used to play football together.
I see a way out for one of the local financial giants to buy Vitesse from Oyf and try to return to the Eredivisie with young players. This would be the best step. I will have a conversation with the players to see if they will be closed to financial issues. Until now, everything has been paid in Vitesse.
Oleksandr Karpenko
