Ajax have announced that Marc Overmars has left his position as technical director of Ajax with immediate effect.
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A statement on the Ajax website explained the decision, “Director of Football Affairs Marc Overmars will leave Ajax with immediate effect. He made this decision after discussions in recent days with the Supervisory Board and CEO Edwin van der Sar and communicated his intentions to them. A series of inappropriate messages sent to several female colleagues over an extended period of time underlies his decision to leave the club.”
Overmars himself added, “I am ashamed. Last week I was confronted with reports about my behavior. And how this has come across to others. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I was crossing the line with this, but that was made clear to me in recent days. I suddenly felt enormous pressure. I apologize. Certainly, for someone in my position, this behavior is unacceptable. I now see that too. But it is too late. I see no other option but to leave Ajax. This also has a major impact on my private situation. That is why I ask everyone to leave me and my family alone.”
CEO Edwin van der Sar concluded: “I find the situation appalling for everyone. In my role, I also feel responsible to help colleagues. A safe sport- and working climate is very important. We will pay even more attention to this in the near future. Marc and I have been playing together since the early 1990s, first at Ajax and then with the national team and we have been colleagues in the management of Ajax for almost ten years now. That has now come to a very abrupt end. We are working on something very wonderful here at Ajax, so this news will also be a blow to everyone who cares about Ajax.”
Overmars has been technical director of Ajax since 2012 and has been widely praised for his work with the club. However, he now leaves despite recently pledging his future to the club. Overmars had been linked to similar positions with Barcelona, Arsenal and Newcastle United in recent years.
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So sad on so many levels.