FC Twente forced to relegation over financial irregularities

Due to financial mismanagement, former Dutch soccer champions FC Twente face forcible relegation from the Eredivisie to the second Dutch professional level, the License Committee of the Dutch football association KNVB decided on Wednesday.

According to the proposal, the professional license will be revoked, but at the same time a new licence will be issued. With this new license Twente can return at the lowest professional level, which is the Jupiler League, the second level.

Based on the license regulations, the License Committee had two options. The first option was a fine of 45,250 euros (51,062 U.S. dollars), which according to the Committee was a disproportionate light punishment. The second option was to withdraw the license, which was according to the Committee was a disproportional severe sentence.

The License Commission came to the conclusion that the financial acts of Twente in recent years justified to revoke the license, but also found that the efforts in the last few months to clean up justified to retain the license. Then the committee chose the solution in the middle.

The decision is not definite yet. First it is necessary to await the advice of the Central Players Council (CSR), which has to issue a non-binding advise. Then FC Twente can appeal against the decision.

"Unfortunately, the fans, the club and the current directors bleed for the mismanagement of recent years," KNVB director Bert van Oostveen reacted in a press release. "However, we understand that the License Commission had to take tough measures, because FC Twente systematically deceived all other clubs and anyone who follows football in the Netherlands."

Due to financial irregularities FC Twente were already punished three times with a three-point deduction over the past year and in December 2015 the club from Enschede was banned for three years of participation in European competitions. Besides the financial mismanagement, the club was also accused of having misled the License Committee. For instance, the club failed to mention the influence of investment company Doyen Sports on the transfer policy.

Led by chairman Joop Munsterman FC Twente became champion of the Netherlands in 2010 and played in the group stage of the Champions League later that year. One year later Twente also won the Dutch Cup. Looking back now the sporting successes proved to be built on financial quicksand.

The proposed forcible relegation will influence the current promotion/relegation play-offs in the Netherlands, in which Willem II, the number 16 of the 2015/2016 season, and De Graafschap, the number 17, will face NAC Breda and Go Ahead Eagles respectively. According to the rules the highest ranked team, Willem II, will stay in the Eredivisie if Twente relegates. If both Willem II and De Graafschap win in the play-offs even bottom side SC Cambuur would remain in the Eredivisie. Endit