The Dutch football association has deducted 18 points from Vitesse Arnhem, officially confirming the club’s relegation, in the wake of an investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) that uncovered apparent financial ties between the club and the Russian oligarch and former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

The KNVB, the governing body of Dutch football, said it had imposed the record sanction because the club, formally known as SBV Vitesse, failed to meet the requirements of its licensing regulations.

The sanction will reduce Vitesse’s points tally to -1, sealing demotion to the second division from the Eredivisie, where the club have played for 35 years. The club, who are in the midst of a financial crisis, were already bottom of the Eredivisie with four games to go.

The KNVB said the unprecedented scale of the penalty was due to the “exceptional seriousness and extent” of violations by Vitesse of the Dutch football licensing system.

It said Vitesse had provided “incorrect information” that was important for a forensic investigation of whether it had breached sanctions law. It said Vitesse had also withheld vital information.