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RAAD VOOR DE JOURNALISTIEK: Lex Lammers and De Gelderlander Failed Basic Journalistic Standards Regarding Common Group and Vitesse Arnhem 🟡⚫️ A formal ruling by the Raad voor de Journalistiek, chaired by G.C. Makkink (who also serves as a justice of the Dutch Supreme Court), upheld all complaints by Common Group and Coley Parry that reporting by Lex Lammers and De Gelderlander (DPG Media) failed basic journalistic standards and lacked verifiable factual support for serious, damaging, repeated allegations that Common Group or Coley Parry secretly controlled Vitesse or were “persona non grata” in Dutch football, among other claims. In his defense before the Council, Lammers stated that these claims were based on informal information from people around “the KNVB and the license committee,” which he said could not be confirmed in writing or otherwise independently verified. The Council rejected this as insufficient and found the allegations were wrongly presented as fact. The Council further noted that correspondence from the KNVB, submitted in the proceedings by Common Group, expressly stated that neither the licensing committee nor the KNVB had ever described Coley Parry as persona non grata, banned, or blacklisted, nor used similar wording in any official communication or press release. The Raad further concluded that such reporting was capable of causing serious reputational harm and has recommended that De Gelderlander publish the Council’s conclusion. Coley Parry and Common Group thank the Raad voor de Journalistiek for its time, care, and clarity in its ruling. We hope this decision also prompts broader reflection on how media narratives and regulatory processes can intersect in high-stakes licensing matters in Dutch football. Questions around the circular dynamic between the licensing committee and the media described by Lammers in his statements to the Council deserve careful scrutiny. Common Group will have more to say in the coming days about how De Gelderlander reporting, which the Council found to lack sufficient factual support, was cited and relied upon by the KNVB during its investigation and process concerning the ultimate revocation of the club’s license. https://t.co/WMPfjT6Kxs