Ajax leadership heard about Overmars' behavior before reappointment

Before reappointing Marc Overmars in January, the management and supervisory board of Ajax had already heard about his sexually transgressive behavior. Nevertheless, the Amsterdam football club did not see a reason to postpone the meeting at which he was reappointed, NOS reports.

Overmars was reappointed until mid-2026 at a meeting with shareholders on Jan. 28. Edwin van der Sar, the general manager of Ajax, said they had “received signals” about Overmars’ behavior before that, but justified the football club’s actions by saying they had to complete a thorough investigation first. 

"You cannot act on sounds. You have to research something like this carefully to get a good insight,” he told NOS.

Overmars resigned last week after being confronted with his behavior. He had sent sexually transgressive messages to several female colleagues over an extended period of time, included unwanted dick pics and “stalking-like” texts. 

The decision followed conversations with the supervisory board and Van Der Sar, with whom Overmars worked closely, NOS reports.