First Division team Fortuna Sittard has been saved from extension (www.v-bal.nl). The club that was 24.3m Euro in debt has it's debt written off by both the tax man and the council. Can someone who is a bit more up to date please explain the Dutch football rules to me. As far as I know, Dutch football clubs manage their finances quite well (please correct me if I am wrong). Meaning, you don't see the scenarios you get in Italy (Lazio), Spain (Real Madrid) and Germany (Dortmund). Is it true that if Dutch clubs can not prove they have their finances in order then they are not allowed to compete in the following season's competition? I think Italy have such a rule, and Roma were almost not allowed to compete this year. Please clarify.
MVV was pretty f'd up financially a couple years back. It seems to be a bit better sorted out now after some help by the city. Damn Sittard.
That's actually the German system. Bundesliga teams have to prove that they are able to pay all expenses for the next 12 months. Else they get relegated to 3rd or 4th division. Dortmund have proven that for next season, btw. France has slightly stricter rules since several years (after Bordeaux and some other clubs went bust). That system is there but IMHO it is a complete joke. On the one hand many patrons pump Mios of Euro into their clubs - absolutely ok - on the other hand Italy's president, Silvio Berlusconi, is also head of AC Milan and in 2003 or 2004 introduced an act called "Salva calcio", that saved many clubs, especially Lazio, from disappearing. That act in fact dumped or strechted taxes payment, that many Italian clubs had still to pay, over many, many years.