Desperate Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem have turned to crowdfunding in a bid to retain the club’s licence to play in next season’s second tier and raised over one million euros by Friday, with the club’s players donating their salaries to the cause.

Vitesse were relegated from the top flight for the first time in 35 years this season after an 18-point deduction imposed by the Dutch football association for persistent breaches of their licensing conditions and providing incorrect information to authorities.