Geopolitics comes to Vitesse: how ‘Chelsea B’ were swallowed by Abramovich associates | Jacob Steinberg
Fans of the Eredivisie club hoped takeovers would transform their fortunes, but instead they face an existential threat to their future
Abramovich loans fund Vitesse owner, leaked documents suggest
Vitesse Arnhem are a cautionary tale. At first glance, it is possible to fall into the trap of thinking that they hit the jackpot 14 years ago. Vitesse, a Dutch club with little history of success, had their identity transformed after a takeover led by the Georgian former footballer Merab Jordania.
Allegations of links between Jordania and Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch and former owner of Chelsea Football Club, were always denied. Vitesse, whose highest finish in the Eredivisie was third in 1998, trundled along. They were characterised as “Chelsea B” because of the numbers of players they took on loan from the Premier League side. The game that brought them the first trophy in their long but modest history is instructive. Three young Chelsea loanees – Matt Miazga, Lewis Baker and Nathan – were in the Vitesse team that beat AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Cup final in 2017.
