The Dutch football association KNVB has launched an integrity investigation into the football club ASV De Dijk. Club members accuse the board of fraud and money laundering, Het Parool reports.

The relationship within the club has reportedly been strained for years. Two groups do not get along, as one of them accuses the board of fraud and tax evasion, saying the club’s coordinator, for example, had indirectly earned 800 euros tax-free a month. A volunteer can earn a maximum of 200 euros without having to pay tax, but some are accused of circumventing this by giving fictitious jobs to friends and family members.

The accused board members told the news outlet they are being smeared by people who oppose the appointment of board members. “We are simply dealing with a group of people who really have a grudge against us,” a secretary told Het Parool. “Fine, let them investigate.”

The club has faced other problems, including the club's matches repeatedly getting out of hand. On October 4, for example, a match was abandoned after a player, who had been shown a red card, ran back onto the pitch with a screwdriver. Two weeks prior, the police were called after fans threw bottles and cans at SV Oudekerk players. The people were sent away but allegedly hanged around waiting for the players and their families in the car park.

De Dijk reportedly has a notorious reputation among other clubs. The club’s board and the board of DRC from Durgerdam could not agree on the venue for a championship. The match, which had already been postponed by more than a month, was ultimately never played.

DRC chairman Alex Klusman was annoyed at KNVB at the time. “They are very cowardly, show no leadership, and do not dare to intervene. They prefer to let competitions continue so that everything just keeps going. But I think they should take action and say, "We will not accept it.”

At the time, the association said through a spokesperson that responsibility for safety lies with the clubs. “”The KNVB can advise and support in this regard, but we cannot take that responsibility.”