Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 11:02 am• Guy Habets

Vitesse has a new owner. The Arnhem club has announced that the Commen Group has taken over the shares and has issued a financial guarantee for at least five seasons. This means that the Russian Valeriy Oyf is now officially a major shareholder at Vitesse. The acquisition still has to be approved by the KNVB.

The Common Group is an investment company of the American Coley Parry, who also has shares in Leyton Orient in England and Patro Eisden Maasmechelen in Belgium. The financial guarantee provided by the Americans ensures that the annual deficits for the next five years are amply covered and that intended investments can be financed. Due to the necessary approval from the KNVB, it will take a while before the takeover is final, but Vitesse says it can now ‘continue’.

General director Pascal van Wijk expresses his satisfaction with the takeover on the club site. “It is an important day for Vitesse and everyone who cares about the club. For months we have worked hard behind the scenes to bring the acquisition process to the best possible end. We are convinced that the Common Group is the right party for Vitesse and present the new major shareholder with enthusiasm, pride and confidence.”

Parry, who will take a seat on the Vitesse Supervisory Board on behalf of the Common Group, already foresees a bright future. “We are starting this new chapter of the club with a lot of enthusiasm and confidence. Vitesse has a tradition and history of more than 130 years, of which it can rightly be proud. But we also believe in the future of Vitesse and will go there. We are doing everything we can with the club to continue the upward trend of recent years. We already have a lot of appreciation for the supporters and sponsors and look forward to meeting everyone at the stadium soon.”