"The Appeals Committee concludes that there has been a pattern of deception, circumvention and undermining of the licensing system over several years, as well as a lack of transparency," the KNVB said in a statement.
"In the opinion of the Appeals Committee, this pattern has proven to be structural, serious and persistent. The Appeals Committee, therefore, considers that revocation of the licence is justified."
In May, the Dutch FA (KNVB) announced the provisional decision to revoke Vitesse's professional licence after the club "structurally evaded the licencing system," the independent licencing committee said. It was the second time in a year that Vitesse were about to lose their professional licence and dissolve as a club.
"The Appeals Committee is aware that revoking the licence will have a significant impact on the interests of supporters, employees, the region and other stakeholders of Vitesse, including the key figures who have made a special effort to retain the licence."
New stakeholders "came too late"
A consortium formed by local investors announced a takeover of the club in June. The group, who called themselves the 'Sterkhouders' (translated: strongholders), promised to keep Vitesse's professional license in Arnhem by discussing a future-proof plan with the KNVB.
"With the planned acquisition of all shares and the return of ownership to the region, as well as the fulfilment of other crucial licensing requirements (such as having a bank account and an accountant), Vitesse is taking the next step towards definitive licence retention," the Sterkhouders said in June.
"It is up to the KNVB licensing committee to make a final decision on this matter. Vitesse has proposed to the licensing committee that further discussions be held on this matter shortly."
The KNVB said the efforts of the Sterkhouders came too late for Vitesse: "Their initiatives are surrounded by uncertainties that cannot be resolved before the start of the 2025/26 season. Many aspects of their plans still need to be further developed and assessed by the licensing committee."
The KNVB's decision looks to be the end for Vitesse, the second-oldest professional football club in the Netherlands, after 133 years.
Vitesse plan to fight the KNVB's decision in civil court.
Long, dark road
Vitesse, formerly famous for being a partner club of Chelsea, played in the Eredivisie uninterruptedly from 1990 to 2024 and were a steady sub-top side, featuring in the UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League six times between 2012 and 2021.
After Russian club owner Valeri Oyf was forced to sell the club due to being added to the European sanctions list against Russian oligarchs, Vitesse fell into a financial spiral. Proposed takeovers from American Coley Parry and local entrepreneur Guus Franke fell through after not being accepted by the KNVB's licensing committee.
A new ownership group, consisting of Americans Dane Murphy and Flint Reilly, Germans Timo Braasch and Leon Muller, and Italian-American Bryan Mornaghi, took over the club in January 2025, but ran into trouble with the KNVB regarding the completion of the takeover.
The KNVB weren't convinced that Coley Parry, the owner of the Common Group, which had attempted an earlier takeover and was rejected by the licensing commission, had been frozen out of Vitesse's business and were afraid the American still had a say within the club.
Parry himself reportedly put the five owners together in an attempt to keep control of the club.