Ajax management purge continues: Club parts ways with sports director Hendriks

Ajax Chief Sports Operator Maurits Hendriks will leave the club on March 1, more than eight months before his contract was due to end on November 15. The executive made the decision to depart after talks with Amsterdam club's supervisory board. Hendriks is the latest victim of the poor start the Ajax men's team had to start the Eredivisie season.

"It’s been a beautiful and educational time at this monumental club, with highs and lows," Hendriks said in a press release. "I am ready for a new management role to bring what I desire for myself professionally. I want to thank my colleagues I’ve worked with wonderfully and wish Ajax all the best and many more sportive successes."

The 63-year-old worked for several years as the technical director at the Dutch Olympic Committee. The former hockey coach joined Ajax in September 2022. He played a role in the renovation of the De Toekomst youth complex, but also had a say in the recruitment of Sven Mislintat, the director of football affairs who was dismissed at the end of September.

The German businessman brought 12 new players to Ajax. Most of the newcomers have yet to prove themselves. Mislintat remains under investigation for conflicts of interest in player transfers.

"We thank Maurits for his great dedication, especially in further developing the building project De Nieuwe Toekomst and women’s football at Ajax," said Michael van Praag, the Ajax supervisory board chair. "In the short period I’ve worked with him, I got to experience how dedicated he is and how his analytical way of thinking introduced new structures. We wish him all success in the rest of his career."

The Ajax men's team is currently in fifth place in the Eredivisie. It had been mired in its historic worst start to the season at the end of October. The poor performance prompted the departures of Mislintat, head coach Maurice Steijn and Pier Eringa, the supervisory board chair. Interim director Jan van Halst will also not return to the board in mid-March, when the new director, Alex Kroes, is able to start.