AJAX

• Jonna ter Veer

  NOS Sport editor

Fortuna Sittard’s footballers can win their first main prize this afternoon within the cup ultimate towards Ajax (2.30pm). That may be the final one for some time.

After this season, Fortuna, which began with a serious league group in 2022, will proceed in a unique format. And not using a head coach Roger Reiners. With out captain and Premier League prime scorer Tessa Wullaert. The massive cash is gone.

It appears that evidently the purpose of attacking the highest three and enjoying within the Champions League sooner or later won’t be off the desk for now.

The cash for the ladies’s group got here from Principion, the funding car of the founders of the gaming large Azerion, which grew to become the identify sponsor of the ladies’s main league for 3 years in 2022. In his personal phrases, from the will to advertise girls’s soccer within the Netherlands as a complete.

The brand new borrower contacted NOS million euros funds for the primary season – common Premier League funds is 4.5 tons. Key gamers had been introduced in from overseas, equivalent to Belgian worldwide Wullaert. And her accomplice voted Diede Lemey, the perfect goalkeeper within the Italian league in 2021/2022.

Every participant was given a everlasting contract. That is distinctive, as slightly below half of the gamers within the Premier League had been enjoying for a payment allowance on the time, it turned out. analysis Van Ladies Inc.

“Right here you’ll be able to concentrate on soccer 100%. That isn’t evident in each membership,” mentioned Moïsa van Koot in December 2022 about her alternative for the Limburg membership.

Fortuna Ladies additionally had the identical amenities as the lads and performed all their dwelling video games in the primary stadium – distinctive for a Dutch girls’s prime league membership.

The Limburg membership completed the primary season in third place, behind Ajax and FC Twente. This season, Fortuna completed fourth, only one level behind quantity three PSV.

A lot for the hosanna story. As a result of it’s sure that intentions have to be modified. Monetary issues have elevated because the new lender took workplace.

In March final 12 months, the Dutch Monetary Markets Authority (AFM) watchdog started an investigation into doable market abuse of Azerion’s share. The analysis exhibits in line with Aserion to focus on the shareholders of Principion, the co-owner of Fortuna. Atilla Aytekin then resigned as a director on the video games large.

Since 2022, the worth of Azerion’s shares has fallen by greater than 80 %.

Two months later, Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz – the membership’s new star – introduced once more to go away among the many males of Fortune. Earlier than that, there was dissatisfaction over non-payment of salaries.

Final January, Fortuna shared its annual figures with a web lack of 7.5 million euros. At the moment, the membership had been within the crimson for years and below the administration of the KNVB. A membership have to be financially sound as a way to retain an expert licence.

The issues additionally grew to become obvious amongst girls. First below the pores and skin: worthwhile employees, largely core gamers, who mentioned they loved themselves at Fortuna, thought of leaving in January. Months later, the membership confirmed that these gamers would certainly be leaving.

Alieke Tuin and Charlotte Hulst transfer to FC Twente, Féli Delacauw goes to Germany’s Hoffenheim and Hanna Huizenga leaves for PEC Zwolle. Wullaert can be leaving, however she would not have a brand new membership but. Different names haven’t but been introduced by Fortuna.

It was additionally unsure for months for gamers whether or not Fortuna would pull the plug on the ladies’s finger or not. That appeared to have an effect on the outcomes. Throughout the winter break Fortuna was in third place, after the winter break the group collapsed. Just one level was scored in 4 consecutive video games.

The architect of the group, technical supervisor Bo Breukers, instructed NOS in the beginning of March that he couldn’t say a lot in regards to the subsequent season. He mentioned: “There’s more likely to be a distinction within the funds. This implies you’ll put collectively a unique election.”

Basic supervisor Ivo Pfennings revealed a month later that the extra monetary contribution from the loanee will cease after this season. “With out that further funding it isn’t doable to assault the highest three,” he mentioned ESPN. “I assume we will play a task within the midfield.”

So the large intentions must be placed on maintain. The dream of cash and equality as a path to achievement truly seems to be what it’s: a dream.

How will this have an effect on gamers? Those that exchanged their international journey for the guarantees of Fortuna must search for one other membership after two years. All however one contract expires in June.

“The sponsor is leaving. Many gamers, together with myself, won’t get a brand new contract,” mentioned Wullaert in April at a press convention of the Belgian nationwide group.

Negotiations are nonetheless ongoing with some gamers. In the event that they need to keep, they might must accept a decrease wage.

The VVCS gamers’ union is pissed off with the course of occasions and can be questioning the working strategies of the KNVB. “The query is the way you, as an affiliation, need to cope with new golf equipment within the Premier League. If you wish to have to affix, there needs to be plan, one that isn’t depending on one particular person assist,” mentioned chairwoman Claudia van. than Heiligenberg.

She additionally criticizes the monetary evaluation in the beginning by the KNVB. “You may throw one million at it, as within the case of the house owners of Fortuna, but when the cash runs out after two seasons, you’ve gotten an issue.”

The KNVB responds as follows: “After all it will be significant that membership revenue and expenditure are balanced. This is applicable typically and never solely to girls’s soccer. Structural prices shouldn’t be financed by contingent advantages.”

Anyway, the gamers have recovered from the enjoyable. The ultimate championship recreation was settled with an 8-1 victory over PEC Zwolle. And with a 2-0 win, they stored FC Twente one recreation away from profitable the nationwide championship. Wullaert grew to become the highest scorer within the Eredivisie with 26 objectives.

Now solely the cup awaits as a reward for the efforts of this group.

Accountability

The NOS spoke to individuals who had been across the membership for six months. Interviews with gamers about leaving Fortuna had been held again by the membership, together with Tessa Wullaert. She is alleged to have been intentionally stored out of the media following studies of the membership’s monetary issues.

Atilla Aytekin mentioned she was not allowed to talk to the media due to the watchdog’s investigation. AFM Watchdog says it isn’t allowed to make statements about investigations.

Azerion publicizes that discussions about sponsoring the Premier League for the 2024-2025 season are nonetheless ongoing.