The 2022 Ajax team had just won their 36th Eredivisie title, a fourth consecutive one in the past five years. Everything seemed bright and brilliant, and then it happened: the huge, abrupt collapse that no one saw coming.
The recent collapse at Ajax Football Club is rather bizarre but not inexplicable. From the departures of Eric Ten Hag and Marc Overmars to poor recruitment and management, there is no shortage of areas to place blame. Sex scandals, PR disasters, security issues, internal boardroom fights, financial mismanagement, and incompetent transfers have all contributed to the downfall of Europe’s most storied club.
The Full Story Of Overmars Sex Scandal
To understand the roots of Ajax’s demise, we need to travel back in time when everything seemed calm and the ship sailed steadily. In 2012, Ajax announced the appointment of former star Marc Overmars as the new Director of Football at the club. Overmars would go on to perform miracles in the Eredivisie and in Europe for his boyhood club.
During his time as Director of Football, Ajax would become an unstoppable giants in the Dutch league, finishing no lower than second in nearly 10 years and winning the league 6 times. The club even extended its influence in Europe, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2019, two years after finishing runners-up in the Europa League final in 2017.
Overmars aimed to revive the European glory nights in Amsterdam and possibly win the UEFA Champions League, as he had done as a player in 1995. Overmars performed beyond any imaginable expectations as Director of Football; his recruitment was described by many as world-class.
He also revolutionized the Academy which supported the senior team heavily through its generational talent of graduates like Mathias De Ligt, Frankie De Jong, Donny van de Beek, Julian Timba, etc., it was all a garden of milk and honey.
Unfortunately, the challenge was throughout this period of enormous success, everyone at the club just enjoyed and praised Marc Overmars for being such genius, no one cared about asking how things were done and how Overmars really run the club.
However, Kevin Bernoonen, a writer for Eurosport, points out gaps in the institutional structure at Ajax during Overmars’ time.
He said “Despite Overmars and Ten Hag’s success, a good structure was never in place”, and this was ultimately a ticking time bomb for Ajax.
Overmars and Ten Hag would eventually leave the Dutch giants. Rumors of a huge role awaiting Overmars at Arsenal or Newcastle had been circulating for months, and Erik Ten Hag was being courted by bigger European clubs even before selling his soul to Manchester United in the summer of 2022.
Ajax needed capable replacements for both scenarios, but this was not what happened.
First, the club surprisingly – or unsurprisingly – did not have anyone prepared or equipped to take over from Marc Overmars. The club did not follow any framework and Overmars’s visions, deals, workflow were never documented for reference. So when he left he left with everything.
It is like this period was erased from the library at Ajax and even still, many reports circulated about Overmars being a lone wolf. He was always getting everything done by himself, agreeing deals with players and their agents behind everybody’s back. Unfortunately he has crossed boundaries, so continuing as director is not an option.
The Expose
On February 7, 2022, a report from Dutch outlet, NRC revealed the dirty behavior of Marc Overmars and other staff members at the club. Records showed a woman describing receiving multiple pictures of Overmars’ private parts. To be precise, the woman whose identity is still unknown was just a drop in the ocean.
The NRC reports that over 11 women had received similar disgusting pictures from Overmars across an extended period of time. It’s clear that these women were just being threatened
not to say anything to anyone otherwise this was a huge sexual crisis going on at Ajax.
Further reports emphasized Overmars’ role as the instigator of the despicable, vulgar environment inside the walls of the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Based on evidences available, he was not the only one. The co-culture had gone beyond visible borders. Players, co-workers, and even senior management members were all involved at this stage.
One woman even reported receiving messages from an undiscussed player asking her to meet him
in the toilet cubicle with clear intentions of sexually assaulting her.
Many other women would go on to provide media outlets with evidence spinning male colleagues who either sent them pictures of their private parts or ask to meet them in inappropriate
places.
So the question is why did no one report these incidents, and if they did, why did no one care?
The report from NRC raised very concerning issues, bigger issues. First, women had taken responsibility to report the abuse, but someone was shutting them down.
On January 25, 2022, the General Manager at Ajax warned all employees against any attempt at whistleblowing. This actually raises serious questions about the culture and people overseeing the operation of Ajax at the time.
To begin with, Edwin Van der Sar is regarded as one of the most respected high-ranking officials at Ajax. If he was involved in covering up one of the biggest human rights abuse scandals in European football’s recent history, then no woman is safe.
The expectation from the whole football world was that Ajax would sack Overmars immediately after his behavior had been exposed beyond the walls of the Johan Cruyff Arena. But then, they didn’t.
Ajax decided Overmars was to take his time, relax, acknowledge he had been a bad boy, apologize to the victims, and decide for himself when he would decide leave. If you want wanted a sign to show that the whole club Heir knew the whole story, there it was.
Overmars Finally Resigns
Overmars announced his resignation, and Shameless Edwin Van der Sar promised to protect every worker at Ajax like the strong protector he was. It was clear he was a darling, he was considered more important than the victims, of course he was.
Now in his defense, Overmars was not aware that he was breaking any protocol or crossing boundaries with his female colleagues at work. In other words, this guy thought it was okay to pull down his pants, set up his camera gear, shoot his pennies and circulate it to the workplace
like it was a birthday cake.
Overmars said: “I am ashamed. Last week I was confronted by reports of my behavior and how it was experienced by others. This behavior is unacceptable I see it now, but it is too late. I see no other choice but to leave Ajax. This has a major impact on my private situation that is why I ask everyone to leave me and my family alone.” These were the unbelievable words of a man who had made tens of women uncomfortable in their work.
He was now acting so surprised and shocked that he was doing wrong. He was asking to be left alone.
In the end, Overmars announced his resignation and Shameless Edwin van der Sar promised to protect every work at Ajax like the strong protector he was.
Ten Hag Leaves
Eric Ten Hag was just as important as Marc Overmars to Ajax’s success. Despised because of his accent and origin when he arrived in 2017, Ten Hag would go on to introduce the best football philosophy Ajax had arguably seen in years.
When Ten Hag left Ajax to join Manchester United in May 2022, Ajax had time to prepare for his replacement. The question was, who would replace the magnificent Erik Ten Hag?
Unfortunately, the answer couldn’t have been more wrong. Alfred Schreuder was appointed, and his football was actually terrible. Ajax had no option but to sack him.
Since then, the football and the club have never been the same again. Erik Ten Hag left a hole in the soul of Ajax, and Overmars had to be replaced.
Sven Mislintat was appointed as the new Director of Football on April 19, 2023. The future looked promising again with Mislintat at the wheel.
Mislintat had traveled all over Europe, and his portfolio was unprecedented. He achieved enormous success at Borussia Dortmund, overseeing the arrivals of players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembélé, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He had also spent time as Sporting Director at Arsenal and Roma, where he signed Aubameyang for the second time in his career.
With such a profile at the helm, what could go wrong? However, Mislintat’s appointment has yet to yield the desired results, and Ajax’s struggles continue.
The collapse of Ajax Football Club serves as a caution about the importance of institutional structure, accountability, and responsible leadership in sports organizations.
The once-mighty club’s downfall was not solely due to the departure of key personnel but also the result of deep-seated cultural and structural issues.
As Ajax strives to regain its former glory, it must confront the demons of its past and implement meaningful reforms to prevent similar collapses in the future.
Only time will tell if Mislintat can turn the tide and restore Ajax to its former splendor.
Goodluck to Ajax and the new board.