Desperate times call for desperate measures. In Arnhem local football club Vitesse though, things had to change. Better results through a solid financial injection and a new approach. They “promoted” football to a more extensive degree. A live soap opera labelled, “Trading with the stars”. Their nickname is: FC Hollywood upon Rhine.
Forget oil, gold or bonds. In Arnhem there is a new kind of merchandise that is devaluation-proof. Soccer players as a trading good. A trading house that looks like a casino has risen to prominence. The movement was founded by Georgian business man Merab Jordania, who took over the club in 2010 and the new director of football Kasakowski. This manager is a real poker player (indeed, he worked for 7 years in a casino). It is said that Vitesse is a satellite club of Chelsea and Abramovich, but this has been strongly denied by Jordania and his manager: “We have some powerful friends and everybody needs a strong network”. Some Vitesse players like Patrick van Aanholt used to play for the London club, but were no longer needed. On the last day of the Dutch transfer market, Vitesse went shopping at the Chelsea wholesaler’s and were granted French player Gaël Kakuta. They also added super talent Nikola Aksentijevic (from Partizan Belgrade).
Between 1990 and 2002 the Arnhem club got used to finishing between third and sixth place, granting them participation in the UEFA Cup. Then Vitesse struggled for years to bring in decent players and only finished in the top 10 one time (in 2005) in the past ten years. Now a club ready for the top has risen, according to Mr. Jordania. Football fans and reporters were pointing at their heads, when he said that they would be champions in the year 2013. Although this is a bold statement, Vitesse is clearly a sleeping giant, hungry to take control in the Dutch league. Former manager John van den Brom was hired because of his former successes with Ado Den Haag. He played for Vitesse and couldn’t resist the call from Arnhem and Jordania’s Euro’s. He was satisfied with his performance, but got the sack because the 7th place finish in the league was not according to expectations. Eleven nationalities, young valuable players and good connections with east-European football brokers must wake up the giant.
In this setting, it is an odd story, old club icon, former Dutch team player Theo Janssen is coming home. Although “his home” is a very different house now. He will meet only one player – Nick Hofs – that he may recognise from the old times. It seems like a nice gesture to the fans who almost begged for the local hero to return. But Jordania doesn’t care much for Janssen, whose worth has depreciated over the years. The 31 year old midfield player struggled last season with current champion Ajax. This year he didn’t play that much. It was obvious he never felt really home in Amsterdam. The prodigal son even gave up half his salary, when Vitesse played a hard bargain and said he was not priority material. But no one is priority. It is just a matter of economics: supply and demand.
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