Vitesse loses summary proceedings Gelredome stadium and must continue to pay 2 million rent

Soccer club Vitesse lost a summary proceedings on Tuesday over the use of Gelredome stadium after October 1. This was reported by the court in Arnhem. Vitesse will have to let the KNVB know by Wednesday where it will play next season.

Clubs are required by regulations to let the soccer association know no later than February whether they have “a stadium in the Netherlands for playing matches organized in the context of professional football competitions.” If a club fails to do so, its license is at stake.

Underlying the termination of Vitesse’s lease was the fact that the agreement was to be tacitly renewed for as many as 20 years, until October 1, 2043.

Vitesse refused to pay owner Nedstede the rent of over 2 million euros per year any longer when the current contract expires in September this year. The Arnhemmers consider that price not in line with the market, thus a conflict arose.

Vitesse is considering follow-up steps following the judge’s ruling. The judge issued a so-called “head-to-head” ruling on Tuesday, which only lists the parties involved and the judge’s decision. Since the reasoning is missing, it is not yet known how the preliminary injunction judge arrived at this judgment.

After receiving the statement of reasons, Vitesse has the opportunity to appeal. This must be done within four weeks.

Two more lawsuits are pending between Vitesse, its landlord and the owner of Gelredome at the Gelderland District Court. The hearings in these two so-called bottom cases, which revolve around the ‘perpetual right to play’ claimed by Vitesse, are March 9 and 14.