The KNVB's Appeals Committee decided not to overturn the licensing committee's decision to revoke Vitesse's license, meaning the club will likely cease to exist after 133 years.
After the club said they felt "defeated" and announced their intent to fight the decision via civil court, reactions poured in from the Dutch football world.
Shortly after FC Utrecht's 4-1 Europa League win over Sheriff Tiraspol, Vitesse club icon Theo Janssen reacted to the news on live television. "You do take it into account a little bit and you know it can happen. But I didn't expect it to hit me so hard," Janssen said on Ziggo Sport.
"For those 18,000 people who are always there, for the entire fan base and all the club's employees, the world is falling apart. It's a huge shock, although I've also spoken to people who say: we're going to fight for it, we hope the club can still be saved."
"Truly unimaginable"
Ahmed Marcouch, the mayor of Arnhem, calls the possible death of Vitesse "unimaginable."
"It is truly unimaginable that Vitesse will no longer be allowed to participate in professional football after 133 years. I have said before that Vitesse, as the second-oldest club in professional football, is much more than a stadium or a budget on paper. It is a way of life for many people in Arnhem.
"The club fosters a sense of community and connection. That is now at risk of disappearing in one fell swoop, which is a huge disappointment."
The owner of Vitesse's GelreDome stadium, Michael van de Kuit, called Vitesse's troubles "a drama caused by successive owners" and said that the new owners, a consortium called the 'Sterkhouders', would not listen to his advice either: "They too kept the door firmly closed, just like previous owners."
Emotional reaction from the KNVB
The KNVB, the Dutch football association, shared an empathetic reaction to the news on their website.
"It is regrettable when a professional football club loses its license, not only for the club itself, but also for the fans and Dutch football as a whole. We understand that this is painful for Vitesse supporters and that this is a challenging time for them," the football association said.
But as empathetic as the KNVB opened, the association next took a strict stance.
"It is important to emphasise that the clubs have worked with the KNVB to draw up rules to safeguard the integrity and continuity of the professional football leagues. The independent licensing committee and the licensing appeals committee monitor these rules. We fully support these bodies, although it is now painfully clear how significant the impact can be when a club fails to meet the requirements."
The KNVB, who emphasised that Vitesse do not have the option to appeal this decision and can only fight it in court, ended their statement with one last expression of support towards Vitesse supporters: "We wish Vitesse supporters strength in the coming period."