Earlier this month, former Eredivisie side Vitesse had their professional licence revoked by the KNVB following years of systematically undermining the football association's licensing system.
The decision by the Dutch civil court to uphold the KNVB's decision led to Vitesse officially disappearing from Dutch professional football. The Arnhem club will likely continue in the amateur ranks and stated they want to prioritise their youth academy from now on.
'Our children are being held hostage'
However, first-team players are leaving the club en masse with the KNVB allowing them to leave on free transfers. With youth players now being lured away as well, parents of youth academy players have sent a pressing open letter to the KNVB, titled 'Parents of Vitesse youth players demand immediate clarity: Our children are being held hostage.'
"We, the parents of Vitesse youth players, are very concerned about our children's future since the revocation of the professional licence. Despite earlier promises, there is still no agreement on the possibility of transferring to another club," the parents say.
Unlike professional players, youth players are no longer allowed to move clubs, as their transfer window has closed. They are dependent on exemption from the KNVB, but the association only wants to implement this once there is more clarity about a possible restart of Vitesse in amateur football and the future of the academy.
"Vitesse claim that players are free to leave, while the KNVB says it is waiting for Vitesse. In practice, this means that children – some as young as 12 or 13 – are stuck in an administrative impasse. They cannot continue their training, while their development is at a standstill every day.”
The parents emphasise that the situation affects them, their children, and their families on a daily basis.
"There has been tension for weeks, holidays have been overshadowed, and daily life is completely dominated by uncertainty. On top of that, all this also has major consequences for school: some children are forced to transfer to a new high school, while the school year in Arnhem has already started again this week."
Parents feel abandoned
Furthermore, the parents stated that the situation is far more pressing than some media outlets have said. "We want to distance ourselves from the image created in the media that parents understand this situation or support Vitesse. That is not true. We feel abandoned and abused by organisations that should be taking responsibility.
"We therefore call on the KNVB and Vitesse to provide immediate clarity and to facilitate the transfer of our children. Every day of delay is one day too many."