AFC Ajax NV fired Director of Football Affairs Sven Mislintat citing the lack of support and “disappointing” performances by the Dutch club. The decision comes after a major game was suspended due to crowd trouble.
“Various attempts to restore broader support have not led to the desired results and this is leading to unrest in and around the club,” Ajax’s Interim Director Jan van Halst said in a statement on Sunday.
Ajax shares dropped as much as 5.3% at market open in Amsterdam and were trading 2.3% higher to €10.05 as of 9:48 a.m. local time.
Mislintat’s termination is separate from the investigation announced by the club last week, the management said. Ajax began probing Mislintat due to an alleged conflict of interest arising from the transfer of defender Borna Sosa. The transfer was facilitated by a scouting agency that may have a stake in a football data firm partially owned by Mislintat, it had said.
Ajax’s key home match against Rotterdam’s Feyenoord, a fixture referred to as the klassieker, was abandoned Sunday after supporters threw fireworks on to the pitch with Ajax losing 3-0 at the time. The team is currently 14th place in the Dutch Eredivisie.
The Amsterdam-based club said the disappointment at the “poor start to the season is entirely understandable, but should never be the cause of disturbances.”
