Vitesse Arnhem are a cautionary tale. At first glance, it is possible to fall into the trap of thinking that they hit the jackpot 14 years ago. Vitesse, a Dutch club with little history of success, had their identity transformed after a takeover led by the Georgian former footballer Merab Jordania.
Allegations of links between Jordania and Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch and former owner of Chelsea Football Club, were always denied. Vitesse, whose highest finish in the Eredivisie was third in 1998, trundled along. They were characterised as “Chelsea B” because of the numbers of players they took on loan from the Premier League side. The game that brought them the first trophy in their long but modest history is instructive. Three young Chelsea loanees – Matt Miazga, Lewis Baker and Nathan – were in the Vitesse team that beat AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Cup final in 2017.
You might see that triumph as an example of a connection between big and small working well. Jordania, who once described Abramovich as his friend, had been replaced by a Russian businessman, Alexander Chigirinsky, in 2013. Under Chigirinsky, another Abramovich associate, the model persisted.
Vitesse played in Europe. They borrowed some of Chelsea’s brightest academy players, including Armando Broja and Mason Mount. And last month, after reporting by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism uncovered apparent financial ties between Vitesse and Abramovich, an investigation by the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) ended with the club’s relegation from the Eredivisie when they were docked 18 points.
The KNVB imposed the sanction after finding that Vitesse were in breach of its licensing regulations. “Indications” that Abramovich had controlled, or still controlled, the club were cited by the KNVB’s licensing committee. Since then new leaked documents, seen by the Guardian and TBIJ, have emerged that appear to show that Abramovich maintains a secret financial connection to Vitesse through its current owner, Valery Oyf. The documents are part of the Cyprus Confidential files, shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism and Paper Trail Media.
Meanwhile, the Dutch ministry of economic affairs and climate change is still investigating any ties between the club and Abramovich, who was subject to sanctions from the UK government and the European Union after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It is a lot to absorb. Oyf completed his takeover in 2018. A long-time business associate of Abramovich, he was a senior figure at the Russian’s oil company, Sibneft. He has previously denied that Abramovich still had ties to Vitesse. The latest documents indicate that Oyf funded the club with money provided almost entirely by the man forced to sell Chelsea after sanctions were imposed in 2022.
Having an apparent connection to Abramovich has not helped Vitesse. Instead of challenging the supremacy of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, they are in huge financial trouble. Bankruptcy is a real possibility. Their professional licence could be revoked. Oyf has been trying to sell the club since the war in Ukraine started. A realistic buyer is yet to emerge. Neither Vitesse, Oyf nor Abramovich responded to requests from the Guardian for comment.
It is a situation that should alarm football’s authorities. Rather than being elevated by the apparent nature of their ownership, Vitesse have been left vulnerable to punishment from the KNVB. Elements beyond the fans’ control have left the club’s existence at risk. Geopolitics have come to Arnhem. The murkiness harms the town’s community. Vitesse might have thought they were benefiting; in reality they have been warped and distorted.
Football clubs are supposed to be a source of civic pride. They are supposed to represent us. Fans care about their local team’s soul and identity. Some of football’s power brokers, though, see things differently. There is a growing trend for owners of big teams to embark on multi-club projects. Manchester City are, of course, the jewel in City Football Group’s crown. But CFG also has Girona in Spain, Troyes in France and clubs on other continents under its umbrella.
The philosophy can work. Girona, historically a small club, are second in La Liga and have an exciting young manager, Michel. But fans of Troyes are less enthused about CFG. They were promoted to the top division in France as champions in 2021, but were relegated two years later. Now supporters aggrieved with the ownership’s decisions are boycotting games. Jérôme Rothen, a former Troyes player, has said CFG treats his old side “like a floor cloth”. Troyes are 17th in Ligue 2. They can be forgiven for wondering what they get out of being owned by a nation state. Similarly, ultras at Strasbourg, who are 13th in Ligue 1, have not reacted well to their club being owned by BlueCo 22, the company that bought Chelsea from Abramovich.
These projects look farsighted and modern when they go well. Beneath it all, though, is an inherent emptiness. What are we? Who are we? Who are Vitesse for?
They are an extreme example, their plight a consequence of an investigation into links with an individual accused of having ties to Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president. Sometimes an owner just gets bored. Another issue is a proud club being stripped of their independence.
In 2014 Jordania appeared to allege that Chelsea were involved in Vitesse, saying that the Dutch side had been prevented from strengthening their team in a push to win the Eredivisie and qualify for the Champions League because “London didn’t want that”. Uefa requires clubs that play against each other in European competitions be independently owned and run “to ensure the integrity of the competitions”, and that “no individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition”. Jordania later withdrew his remarks and said the allegations were false.
Abramovich, of course, was not proudly flying the flag for multi‑club ownership. Allegations of links with Vitesse were fought. Abramovich wasn’t about to give an interview talking about his desire to grow Dutch football. The world sees Oyf, Jordania and Chigrinsky. Like other Abramovich associates, Oyf is not subject to sanctions.
But the problem with viewing Abramovich as an outlier is the risk of lessons not being learned. If football is blind to the source of the money, then it cannot be a surprise when war in a foreign land ends up hurting a small Dutch club. Everything was fine at Vitesse. Then it all went dark.
