Dutch club loses chance to play in European competitions due to a costly blunder

The Dutch Eredivisie is unique in that even the team sitting ninth in the table can still fight for a spot in the Conference League. That’s exactly the case for Fortuna, but fate had other plans for the club from Sittard.

Details: The team theoretically remains in contention for the play-offs granting access to the Conference League qualifiers, but even a triumph on the pitch won’t see them in European action next season.

The reason? A straightforward but costly oversight—Fortuna simply failed to submit the application for UEFA licensing within the required deadline. Club officials admit they weren’t fully prepared to complete the process anyway.

Quote: “At that moment, the club had not met all the requirements, including the submission of an external auditor’s report in accordance with UEFA regulations. This automatically ruled out participation in the play-offs for European football.

We are currently focused on preparing for the new league season and continue to strengthen the club for the future. We expect to meet all licensing requirements without issue next season,” Fortuna said in a statement to Reuters.

Reminder: With two rounds remaining in the championship, Fortuna holds ninth place—the last position that grants a shot at the Conference League play-offs, sitting just one point ahead of tenth-placed Sparta Rotterdam.