ADO Den Haag has sought support from the municipality of The Hague in an ultimate attempt to retain the KNVB license. This is apparent from a letter sent to the city council and in the hands of Football International. The current directors see no other way out, because the water is now on the club’s lips.
ADO has already failed to submit a balanced budget to the KNVB on two occasions and was therefore definitively deducted six points as a penalty last week. The new deadline for submitting a correct budget will expire on Monday 11 October. If it then again fails to meet the conditions of the KNVB’s license committee, which it appears to be, the club threatens to be deducted three competition points for the third time.
If the club from The Hague still does not have the budget in order by November 1, even the KNVB license will be at stake and professional football may be a thing of the past in the short term. Talks with several major shareholders to take over the club have failed in recent months, leaving ADO with a high debt burden. The need now appears to be so great that the club has knocked on the door of the municipality of The Hague for financial support.
Mayor Jan van Zanen sent a letter to the city council on Tuesday 5 October. In this he elaborates on the financial problems of the club. “On 4 October 2021, ADO made a renewed request to us. This time ADO requests direct financial support. The reason for this is that the KNVB demands a balanced budget or a guarantee of 5.1 million euros before 1 November 2021. ADO indicates that it does not see a solution within this term, for example in the form of a new owner or financier, to meet this requirement.If ADO does not meet this requirement, the KNVB will revoke the license and ADO will no longer be a professional football organization .”
The bottom line is that the ADO will not survive without (temporary) financial support from the municipality. The city council seems willing to help, but first wants to have complete clarity about the financial situation and financial prospects at the club. “Without that insight, the municipality cannot act on the basis of facts, nor make a reasoned estimate of the scale of the issue. In the coming days we will actively speak with ADO to gain full transparency in the finances,” Van Zanen writes. city Council.
The mayor also states in the letter that if it turns out that future-proof business operations are possible, the municipality will look into whether and how ADO’s request for financial support can be granted. In the sporting field, the team of trainer Ruud Brood is doing well. Last round, the people of The Hague won the first period title in the Kitchen Champion Division. However, due to the six points deducted, ADO has to make do with eighth place in the ranking.
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