ADO Den Haag chair resigns over clash with Chinese backers

The managing director of football team ADO Den Haag announced his sudden resignation this week with immediate effect after a clash with the team's Chinese backers. For months Maarten Fontein thought he would be allowed to lead the team with the Chinese shareholders at a distance, but it changed suddenly, he commented. "I was an errand boy with all kinds of ridiculous regulations. Where did the change come from? I really do not know but refuse to be involved with this," Fontein stated. The backers insisted that he be the first person to arrive to the stadium on match days and the last one to leave, he said. A businessman at heart, Fontein managed to get Chinese investors to pull the team back up from financial struggles in late January. Leaving the team is a big disappointment, he told Voetbal International. "Everything went according to plan, there was a good, fresh breeze blowing through the club until the last few days when China rigorously changed course," the former director said. He added that he was squeezed out of operational decisions, and was forced to get China's approval before signing any further documents. ADO currently stands at 14th on the Eredivisie table, with nine rounds left in the season.