The appeal that Marc Overmars had filed against the worldwide suspension imposed on him by the FIFA World Football Association has been rejected. His spokesperson Frank Neervoort confirmed this after earlier reporting from the Dutch newspaper Het Parool.
At the beginning of this year, Fifa took over the worldwide suspension that Overmars had received in the Netherlands for inappropriate behavior during his time at Ajax. The Sports Jurisdiction Institute (ISR) had imposed a two-year suspension on Overmars on November 16, of which one year was conditional.
Overmars is not allowed to perform his position as technical director at Antwerp football club after the suspension was taken over by Fifa.
“We received a two-sentence message. The first sentence states that the appeal has been rejected, the second sentence states that the costs incurred will be borne by Mr Overmars,” says Neervoort. The motivation for the World Football Association’s decision is not yet known to him. “We now have to request this via a Fifa portal. It also took a while last time.”
A decision on whether to go to the International Sports Tribunal (TAS), the last appeal option, will only be made after reading the motivation, according to Neervoort. The ISR declared Overmars guilty of transgressive behavior in November. The former international had to resign as director of football affairs at Ajax in February 2022 after several reports of inappropriate behavior towards female staff at the club.
After leaving Ajax, Overmars quickly joined Antwerp as technical director.
Downer
A downer for Antwerp, which – in its own words – understood Overmars’ appeal. “When Overmars came to RAFC in March 2022, the club reported that we had made a careful and well-considered decision. We still believe that everyone should be given a second chance,” said a statement at the end of January. “Marc Overmars will continue to carry his past with him and will have to continue to prove that he has learned from it. Unambiguous agreements have also been made because a safe working environment for all our players and employees is a priority and because we have zero tolerance for undesirable behavior in the workplace.”
“As a club we will respect the ruling, but collectively we want to support the person we have had the pleasure of getting to know as a person and as a professional over the past two years. This without making any statements about what happened in the past. We have full confidence that we can continue to count on a positive and safe working environment in the future.”
