Hamming to swap Fortuna for Veendam

10 Apr 2003

Veendam look set to swwop for Fortuna Sittard's striker Ronald Hamming now that the 30-year-old forward has lost patience with the club at their inability to perform in the Eerste Divisie.  Hamming's, who has played for Fortuna for the past nine years has stated that he would like to return to his native county, Drenthe saying.  "I have talked with my wife about this and we both would like to go back to Drente,"  "We have a little daughter of 19 months and a second is on its way. "That's why we want to return and stay there for the rest of our lives. But I also want to play football another three to four years." Veendam director John Tukker said the club were pleased that they can finally add Hamming to their squad after an earlier attempt to sign the striker five years ago failed. "We see Hamming as the ideal man to play together with Paul Weerman up front," "We were after him about five years ago, but then we couldn't reach a deal. Now it seems that the signs are better for us."

Amateur Bergmans rejects Fortuna offer

19 Mar 2003

Striker Stef Bergmans who plays for Dutch amateur side Groene Ster has rejected an offer to play professional football with Eerste Divisie side Fortuna Sittard. The 21-year-old player had been on trial with the club since the season red and Fortuna were very impressed. However both sides could not come to a financial agreement. "I have not asked for too much. My demands were not that high," he told newspaper Limburgs Dagblad. "But we could not come anywhere close."

Fortuna wins half million

06 Jan 2003

Fortuna Sittard has had a fortunate start to the New Year after winning a half million Euros in the Dutch national lottery. The group of Fortuna fans who took the initiative to buy the tickets are planning to put the money into a fund that can be used for the ailing club.

Fortuna lose 2-3 against Dordrecht

13 Dec 2002

Fortuna find themselves settled on the bottom of the table after losing their 5th game in a row. Although the home side took the lead in the 30th minute, they were trailing 1-2 just 5 minutes later with goals from club top scorer Marco Boogers (33rd) and Leon van Dalen (35th). In the 65th Michael van Dommelen increased the lead to 3-1.  Although Harrie Gomans managed to reduce the gap to 1 goal with a 70th minute header, the visitors remained the better of the 2 teams and had no problems in holding onto their lead.

Den Bosch beat Fortuna

06 Dec 2002

Den Bosch beat Fortuna Sittard with a Jan Michels 61st minute goal. Hard to believe that both teams played in the ere divisie last season !

Fortuna lose to Haarlem 1-2

29 Nov 2002

Paul Janssen's first goal of the season in the 37 minute of the match was not enough to help Fortuna avoid defeat after Haarlem had taken a 0-2 advantage with goals from Jeroen Kettings (3) and Paul Mulders (30).

Groningen end talks with PSV's Addo

24 Nov 2002

Groningen have decided to end negotiations with PSV's Ghanaian defender Eric Addo after the 24 year-old asked for aother few days to think about the Oosterpark side's offer of a loan deal for the rest of the season. The player's reluctance to accept their offer has been taken as a sign that he's not motivated enough to play for them.

Eagles win at Fortuna 1-2

16 Nov 2002

Sub-topper Go Ahead Eagles went 1-0 down after 23 minutes of last night's match when Ronald Hamming put away a spot-shot after a penalty was awarded against the visitors. After the break the Eagles drew level through a Bram Marbus goal and a late 90th minute winner by Koen Brack gave them the points.

Volendam lose to Fortuna

08 Nov 2002

Ronald Hamming's two goals against Volendam turned the match around for Fortuna after being 1-0 down they went on to win 1-2. It was only the 2nd win of the season for the Sittardians and Volendam will be disappointed to drop valuable points and miss out on the chnace to close the gap with the top 3 teams in the Eerste Divisie.

Emmen only manage 0-0 at Fortuna

01 Nov 2002

Eerste Divisie table-toppers Emmen failed to impress last night only managing a 0-0 draw against lowly 16th placed Fortuna. Fortuna still haven't managed to adjust to Eerste Divisie football, having only managed one win this season and now find themselves 3rd from bottom after this goalless home draw.

Helmond beat Fortuna 4-1

25 Oct 2002

Helmond climb into 5th position after beating Fortuna 4-1. All 5 goals were scored in the first 17 minutes of the game. Leo Kantelenbergd the score in the 1st minute of the game and 5 minutes later he made it 2-0. Kristof Aelbrecht made 3-0 in the 9th and in the 13th minute of the game Roy Hendricksen made it 4-0 for the home side. Gert Brusselers pulled one back Fortuna in the 17th.

Fortuna lose 2-3 to TOP Oss

18 Oct 2002

Danny Guyt put TOP Oss ahead after 35 minutes and doubled the score in the 48th minute. 15 minutes before time Dennis Iliohan made it 0-3. Injury time goals by Georges Tychon and Joos van Barneveld were too late to give Fortuna a point.

Cambuur beat Fortuna 2-1

04 Oct 2002

There seems to be no end to Fortuna's disastrous begin to season. Fortuna were hoping for better after last week's 2-0 win over highly placed Telstar (their first ever win in the Eerste Divisie) but are probably dismayed with yet another defeat this evening. After almost an hour's goallessness Cambuur went into the lead via Katipana in the 54th minute. Jan Bruin increased the lead to 2-0 in the 86th minute, rectifying having himself missed a penalty in the 73rd minute of the game. Fortuna-forward Barneveld netted a consolation goal 2 minutes into extra time.

Fortuna beat Telstar 2-0

27 Sep 2002

Stormvogels/Telstar failed to profit from the points dropped by Emmen at Haarlem and lost themselves in Limburg to  Fortuna Sittard. Joos van Berneveldd the score after almost an hour's play and Ronald Hamming made it 2-0 in the last minute of the match.

Heracles beat Fortuna 3-2

20 Sep 2002

Heracles Almelo stay in touch with table-toppers Emmen after a 3-2 against Fortuna. After Heracles went 2-0 up Joos van Barneveld and Harry Gomans drew the Sittardians level, and it began to look as if Gert Jan Verbeek's team would drop some points for the 2nd time this season, before Rachid Tibari snatched the winner in the 90th minute.

Fortuna and Den Haag in hot-tempered 1-1

13 Sep 2002

Den Haag dropped their first point of the season and Fortuna earned their first during a hot-tempered match in Sittard. After 24 minutes a red card for Dennis ten Turk reduced Den Haag to 10 men and Ronald Hamming put away the spot-shot. Peter Hofstede snatched a point for the visitors with a goal just past the hour.

Sparta thrash Fortuna 4-0

08 Sep 2002

Sparta regained the taste of victory this afternoon against fellow-relegees Fortuna with a 4-0 thrashing of the Limburgers. It was not only the Rotterdammers' first Eerste Divisie win but also their first since November 28th 2001 (a 3-2 win against Willem II) and it's been a straight run of 21 games since they last won a match!  Dolf Roks' team had little trouble disposing of their opponents today thanks to  goals by  David Mendes da Silva (16th, 34th), Denni Conteh (60th) and Danny Koevermans (65th).

MVV draw with Fortuna 0 - 0

31 Aug 2002

MVV drew for the 3rd time this season, this time with Fortuna Sittard. The 5,000 visitors were treated to a rather disappointing match in which there were more yellow cards (5) than chances before goal.

Fortuna's Fritz Emeran returns to France

21 Aug 2002

Fortuna have taken leave of defender Fritz Emeran who's been with the Sittardians since arriving from Belgian side RC Genk in the 2000/2001 season. He's returning to France to play for Geugnon who turn out in the French 2nd Division. He leaves the club with a slightly bitter taste in his mouth as Fortuna were knocked out of theAmstel Cup last night by amateurs Gemert.

Fortuna exit Amstel Cup

20 Aug 2002

Fortuna misfortunes continue -  after their recent relegation from the Ere Divisie they are now out of the Amstel Cup. They lost 3-2 to amateurs VV Gemert, and exit the tournament at the first hurdle.

Fortuna lose to Eindhoven 1 - 2

16 Aug 2002

Fortuna Sittard who were relegated last season, lost their first match of the season last night to Eindhoven. Fortuna's top scorer Hammingd the score in the 11th minute but as the 1st half progressed Eindhoven fought themselves back into the match.  10 minutes before the break the visitors levelled via Luciano van Kallen and 8 minutes later Ties Konings scored the winner.

Fortuna want to bring back Paul Janssen

05 Aug 2002

Fortuna Sittard want to persuade Paul Janssen to return the club where he began his career. The former Fortuna defender has recently returned to the area after terminating his contract at Groningen, which still had two years to run, with the intention of becoming an estate agent!  He'd planned to continue playing football with amateurs IVS. Whatever his decision the unfortunate Sittardians will have to be patient as the 31 year-old is still recovering from a broken toe!

Fortuna get licence for next season

24 July 2002

Fortuna Sittard have finally been granted their professional licence by the Dutch FA (KNVB). The Limburgers, who were relegated to the Eerste Divisie at the end of last season, were denied a licence due to their precarious financial position but have been lucky to find a sponsor in time who'll cover their debts. They are the fourth club who've had to fight hard to come up with a feasible financial plan for next season in order to meet the Dutch FA's (KNVB) preconditions. Den Bosch, NAC, TOP Oss and now Fortuna are all in the safe-zone with Sparta hearing the FA's verdict on their situation tomorrow. They shouldn't have any problems convincing the licencing committee after they received a cheque for the sale of Nourdin Boukhari to Ajax which should be sufficient to guarantee their financial survival.

Fritz Emeran returns to Fortuna

16 July 2002

Fritz Emeran has returned 'home' to Fortuna after unsucessfull trials with French side Girondin Bordeaux and English side Portsmouth. The 26 year-old former Genk player will be giving his best to the Limburgers, who are currently fighting for their survival as a club, as they prepare for the coming season. He's already accepted a reduced offer from the unfortunate Sittardians but is free to move to another club if a tempting offer comes along.

Fortuna-solution for Hamming and Krijgsman

15 July 2002

Fortuna Sittard have found a solution for Ronald Hamming and Dennis Krijgsman, two of the players whose contracts they tried to terminate via the Dutch FA's (KNVB) arbitration committee. Hamming has signed a new deal for two years with the financially troubled, newly relegated Eerste Divisie side while Krijgsman can leave the club transfer-free. The Limburgers will be appealing today against the Dutch FA's decision not to grant them a licence for next season and next week will be attempting to negotiate a new contract with their head of scouting Hans Vergeer.

Dennis Gerritsen returns to amateur ranks

15 July 2002

Dennis Gerritsen has decided to end his professional career and will continue to play football as an amateur. The 31 year-old's contract with Fortuna Sittard ran out this summer and there were no other clubs interested in signing the forward so he'll now be playing for amateur team Babberich. Gerritsen started his professional career at the age of 22 with NAC after playing for Ajax's amateurs, going on to play for Helmond Sport and De Graafschap.

Fortuna denied right to terminate contracts

13 July 2002

Fortuna Sittard have been denied the possibility to terminate the contracts of Dennis Krijgsman, Ronald Hamming and the head of scouting Hans Vergeer by the Dutch FA's (KNVB) arbitration committee. According to the committee there is no evidence of economic decline at the club which was the reason the club had given for taking the drastic step. The trio had already rejected a reduced offer for next season and this latest news brings much closer the end of the club which is currently saddled with debts totalling €5 million Euros. Whether or not Sittard-Geleen council will reach out a helping hand to Fortuna will not be clear till after the summer.

Cramb and Rook leave Fortuna

08 July 2002

Fortuna have been able to find 'new homes' for Scottish striker Colin Cramb and Mischka Rook -  Cramb has returned to Scotland while Rook has signed for Eerste Divisie side TOP Oss. It reduces the pressure on the club who have serious financial problems and they are now waiting to see if they can get permission from the Dutch FA (KNVB) to terminate the contracts of players Ronald Hamming and Dennis Krijsgman plus that of trainer Hans Verel.

Emeran on trial with Girondins Bordeaux

05 July 2002

Fortuna's Fritz Emeran is on trial with French side Girondins Bordeaux after being told he can leave the club, despite his contract which runs till 2005. The 26 year-old right-back travels to a club which ended in 6th place in the French Premiθre Division and will be playing UEFA Cup football next season.

Fortuna appeal against licence decision

03 July 2002

Fortuna have appeared before the Dutch FA's (KNVB) arbitration committee and been given two weeks in which to present a sound budget for next season. There is little chance of the Limburgers succeeding as they have short-term debts of €4.5 million Euros, have to contribute another €2 million Euros in back-payments owed the professional players' pension fund, owe €1.1 million Euros in taxes and have not paid their squad for the months May and June!!! The club thinks they can survive if they terminate the contracts of five players (Hamming, Krijgsman, Cramb, Rook and Averdijk), trainer Verel and head-scout Vergeer without having to pay compensation. The arbitration committee feels it's very unfair to terminate so many long-term contracts in this way and dismissed the club's argument that their financial problems were unforeseen! "It would have been better for everyone if the club was simply declared bankrupt so that the people concerned would have been able to apply for compensation", said chairman Franken.  Fortuna presented a forecast for next season which shows incomes totalling €2.8 million Euros and costs of €2.5 million Euros. The main accomodation has been hired to a school, reducing the rent, and a ceiling for players salaries has been proposed which has been accepted by Pascal Averdijk (€54,000 Euros) but rejected by Cramb and Hamming. The total wage-bill for the club's remaining 18 players (who may or may not still be under contract next season) can not total more than €660,000 Euros.

Fortuna fail to get prof licence

02 July 2002

Fortuna Sittard have failed to get a new professional licence for next season from the Dutch FA (KNVB). The news came hardly as a surprise but is still a blow for the Limburgers as the club had already seen their 'old' licence withdrawn by the Dutch FA. They've not given up hope altogether as club representatives travel to the KNVB's arbitration committee tonight as they try to get permission to terminate the contracts of several players. A successful outcome will mean they can appeal against the loss of their licence and will help to attract the help of potential business partners. This could provide them with enough cash to continue but failure will mean certain bankruptcy.

Hamming's Greek move in balance

01 July 2002

Fortuna striker Ronald Hamming's move to Greek side Panionios is hanging in the balance after the Limburgers' all-time-top-scorer revealed that, although he passed the obligatory medical, he's still not signed a contract. The money is not the problem, but the 'fringe-benefits' are, and Hamming reckons there's only a fifty-fifty chance that the deal will be closed. If it fails to go through he's still got a year to run on his contract with Fortuna and he claims there are also several  German and Dutch clubs interested in signing him.

Emeran and Akerboom stay with Fortuna

28 Jun 2002

Fritz Emeran and Marcel Akerboom have accepted a reduction in wages in order to continue footballing for Fortuna. Following Jochem van der Hoeven's example they're prepared to play for a mere €54,000 Euros per year. Fortuna are trying to get permission from the Dutch FA's (KNVB) arbitration committee to terminate the contracts of Mischa Rook, Stijn Haeldermans, Pascal Averdijk, Dennis Krijgsman, Ronald Hamming and Colin Cramb in order to come up with a budget that will allow them to regain their prof-licence. Hamming was supposed to have signed a one-year deal with Greek side Panionios but Fortuna say they know nothing about the story and Hamming is still officially under contract in Sittard till 2003.

Hamming swaps Fortuna for Panionios

25 Jun 2002

Ronald Hamming is leaving Fortuna Sittard for Greek side Panionios. The 29 year-old forward has signed a deal for one year with an option for one more with the club who ended in 7th place in the Etniki Katigoria. Hamming began his professional career in the 1992/1993 season at Groningen and moved literally from one end of the country to the other to join Fortuna in November 1994. He's scored 94 goals in 248 professional matches.

Van der Hoeven stays with Fortuna

24 Jun 2002

Jochem van der Hoeven has accepted a reduction in salary to continue playing for Fortuna Sittard. He's the first player at the club, currently facing bankruptcy, who's accepted less money in order to help them survive. Fortuna hope that Ronald Hamming, Mischa Rook and Marcel Akerbom, who've all been made the same offer, will follow his example! Pascal Averdijk, Dennis Krijgsman, Colin Cramb, Stijn Haeldermans and Fritz Emeran will all have to await the outcome of the Dutch FA's (KNVB) arbitration comittee which meets on July 2nd to decide whether or not the ailing Sittardians will be given permission to terminate the players' contracts.

Last chance for Fortuna?

20 Jun 2002

The Dutch FA's (KNVB) special arbitration committee will be meeting on July 2nd to decide Fortuna Sittard's future. The ailing Limburgers have applied to terminate the contracts of most of their players in an attempt to survive as a professional club. They are currently without their prof licence due to the fact that they will be unable to present their budget to the KNVB for next season by the June 24th deadline. Stijn Haeldermans, Pascal Averdijk, Dennis Krijgsman, Fritz Emeran, Colin Cramb, Ronald Hamming, Jochem van der Hoeven, Marcel Akerboom, Mischa Rook, former-trainer Hans Verel and the head of scouting Hans Vergeer will all see their contracts annulled if RBC get the go-ahead. In the middle of July the club hope to know whether or not they will be able to sell their stadium, use the proceeds (€7.5 million Euros) to pay off their debts and be able to continue as a professional club.

Alemannia Aachen want Averdijk

10 Jun 2002

Fortuna Sittard's Pascal Averdijk is currently being targeted by German side Alemannia Aachen whose team turns out in the 2nd division of the Bundesliga. Averdijk is one of ten players who Fortuna are being forced to let go this summer due to their financial crisis. If the deal goes through Averdijk will join another Dutchman, 24 year-old former Roda striker Henry Heeren, who's been playing for Alemannia Aachen since the 1997/1998 season.

Fortuna's Edwin Hermans signs for Zwolle?

30 May 2002

Fortuna's Edwin Hermans, whose contract in Sittard runs out this summer, is on the point of signing a contract with Zwolle. The 28 year-old former Eindhoven, FC Volendam and MVV defender has been with Fortuna for the last 5 seasons. He was recently linked with a move to NAC, Willem II and ADO Den Haag but none of the clubs have followed up their initial interest with an offer.

Fortuna forced to sell squad

22 May 2002

Fortuna's financial predicament has become so precarious that they are being forced to sell practically the entire squad in order to have any chance of surviving as a professional club. Despite the sale of Mark van Bommel, Kevin Hofland, Jόrgen Dirkx and Patrick Paauwe, which brought in €8.3 million Euros during the last 4 years, mismanagement of the club's financial affairs during the same period has led to the club building up debts to the tune of €7.3 million Euros. Only a private donation made it possible for the team to play its last game of the season against Feyenoord! The club's general manager Theo Mommers has devised a rescue-plan which includes cutting the bill for players' salaries from €2.5 million to €0.8 million Euros and only 3 of the 27 members of the squad will be staying! Who exactly will be forced to leave will be announced on Friday during an extraordinary meeting at the club. There is insufficient capital to buy off existing contracts, there will also be forced reductions in both the technical and administrative staff and, if all goes according to plan, the stadium will also be part of the "summer-sale" in Sittard.

Fortuna players for sale for free!!

16 May 2002

The club's financial crisis is forcing Fortuna Sittard to let  many of their players go without being able to ask a fee! Their money problems have become so acute that the bill for players' salaries is being drastically reduced as the club's current budget of €6.5 million Euros is cut by 30%!  AZ have already profitted from the unfortunate Sittardians' position by getting Joost Volmer for nothing and Groningen also took advantage of the opportunity to snap up Austrian striker Rolf Landerl.  Other players who could soon well be heading out the door are Ronald Hamming, Stijn Haeldermans, Jochem van der Hoeven, Fritz Emeran and Dennis Krijgsman. Up and coming talents Joos van Barneveld and Harry Gommans will not be on offer as Fortuna are planning to rebuild the team around these key players.