Former Ajax Vrouwen players say Marc Overmars also crossed a line with them
Several former AFC Ajax Vrouwen players told Het Parool that former director Marc Overmars also crossed a line with them. The players said he touched one of them inappropriately on the physio room massage table.
Overmars left his position as director of football affairs at Ajax suddenly in February, when it was revealed he had been sending female colleagues sexually explicit and otherwise inappropriate messages for some time. Now, three former players told Het Parool on condition of anonymity that Overmars often entered the physio room, which was supposed to be a private space for women, and that he had touched one of the players while she was on the massage table.
"He took it off as a joke, but it wasn't treated that way," one of the former players told Het Parool. Another said she knew other players who had experiences with Overmars that "weren't right."
The former director did not want to respond to the allegations. Other Ajax players told Het Parool that they were either not aware of the incident, or did not wish to confirm or deny it.
Rumors were in the air about Overmars, however, according to several sources. "He sometimes made a comment that made you think: 'not so neat, not professional,'" said former Ajax player Merel van Dongen. "He saw us not only as employees, but also as flirting material.”
However, others told Het Parool that it was positive that Overmars made regular visits to the women's department. “He came by regularly, mainly to brainstorm with me. I was happy with the attention," said former trainer Ed Engelkes.
Overmars left Ajax after it came to light that he had sent boundary-crossing text messages to female employees. One woman told Het Parool in February that she had received unsolicited dick pics from Overmars and that he had exhibited "stalking behavior." Others said he sent WhatsApp messages asking invasive questions such as what they were doing or wearing.
"Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I was crossing boundaries with this, but that became clear to me these days," Overmars said in a press release at the time. "That made me suddenly feel enormous pressure. I apologize. Especially for someone in my position, this behavior is not justifiable. I see that now too. But too late. I see no other option than to stop at Ajax."
