In January this year it will become clear how much ADO Den Haag wants to go to the Eredivisie. Despite a loss of millions, the club is throwing money away to finish in the first two places. Two months later, direct promotion has fallen five points further out of sight. That is not the only reason why it is alarm phase one in The Hague. The financial and sporting performance is worrying.
Major financial risks
At the end of January ’24, ADO Den Haag presents deep red figures. A loss of 7.2 million euros for the 2022/23 financial year. Something that no Kitchen Champion Division club can survive. ADO does. Moneylender Bolt ‘pays for the damage’, which means that the Hofstad club complies with the financial rating system. The fire was briefly extinguished, but next year it is also heading for a loss of millions.
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The financial risks of ADO Den Haag: “They go all-in”
In the transfer deadline show of De Voetbalkantine, Vincent Schildkamp and Hans Kraay Jr. explanation of the financial situation of ADO Den Haag.
The people of The Hague want to be healthy, but this is not reflected in the policy. The current number four of the KKD has the eleventh most expensive payroll in the Netherlands. Not from the first division. No, of all clubs in the Netherlands. Last winter, a few expensive routines were added to that expensive salary structure, with which you normally participate in the Eredivisie for the European football play-offs.
Direct promotion is not always for sale
For example, Alex Schalk, Nick Marsman, Timothy Derijck and Jari Vlak will come to ADO in January. This brings the total to 21 reinforcements this season. An all or nothing tactic, which should turn out either way or not in the Eredivisie. The newcomers do not yet give the desired effect. (3W, 3G, 2V).
After January, ADO performs as well as, for example, Helmond Sport and TOP Oss. And so the gap with the places that entitle you to Eredivisie football has increased from one to six points. It turns out that promotion cannot simply be bought.
Familiar recipe needed like never before
Darije Kalezic’s team must make up for a six-point deficit in the remaining seven matches. This season, no one in the KKD has taken so many points after falling behind. The comeback kids of the first division have already fallen behind 1-0 eighteen times (!) this season (7W, 5G, 6V).
These are figures that suit a team that dangles (at the bottom) of the right-hand row. “It seems like they like it,” says Hans Kraay Jr. in Voetbal Op Vrijdag in disbelief. If that is really the case, it will be very spectacular at the end of the competition. ‘RemontADO’ now has to make up not a 1-0 deficit, but a 6-0 deficit to Roda JC. If a club can do it, it is them.
The schedule is just fine with, for example, FC Groningen (home), SC Cambuur (away) and NAC (away). Yet crazier things have happened in the KKD. The first test is against the indomitable FC Groningen. This will show who should abandon the illusion of direct promotion for the time being. This top match can be seen LIVE tonight at 8:00 PM on ESPN Watch and all highlights in the switching channel on ESPN 1.
