Marc Overmars back at Royal Antwerp after FIFA sexual harassment suspension ends
Marc Overmars can go back to work at Royal Antwerp. The global suspension FIFA imposed on him for sexually harassing women during his time at Ajax ends this weekend.
“Marc can resume his work again from Saturday. Of course, he is looking forward to it. He is a football fan and can finally work with his players again. He has taken no risks over the past period, and he has strictly adhered to his punishment, but you will see him again from now on," Overmars’ spokesperson Frank Neervoort said to Het Nieuwsblad.
Overmars’ first priority in his position as technical director will be to raise money for the club by negotiating sales in the January transfer window. Antwerp is currently second in the Belgian league with a five-point gap to league leaders Genk.
Although Overmars was legally not allowed to work during his suspension, Het Nieuwsblad reported that the club’s signings last summer, like former Ajax player Jairo Riedewald and Tjarron Chery, were signed with his approval.
Overmars left Ajax in February 2022 amid allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior toward female colleagues, including footballers. At the time, female Ajax employees told NRC that several department heads knew that Overmars sent subordinates unsolicited dick picks and sexually harassed them, to the point that he was known as the “horny uncle” on the work floor. He started as the technical director of Royal Antwerp a month later.
In November 2023, the Dutch Institute of Sports Law (ISR) suspended Overmars for two years, one of which conditional, for his sexual misconduct at Ajax. FIFA took over this ruling, turning it into a global suspension. Overmars appealed against the suspension, which, in practice, banned him from working in football for a year. But he lost the appeal and decided against taking further steps.
The 51-year-old suffered a heart attack in December 2022. He later told reporters that this did irreparable damage, saying that his heart is now working at 55 percent capacity.
