Jan 10, 2024 at 3:03 PM Update: 6 minutes ago
Maurits Hendriks will leave Ajax on March 1. The 63-year-old driver has decided to close the door behind him in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Hendriks is the next to leave due to the reorganization at Ajax.
Hendriks still had a contract in the Johan Cruijff ArenA until mid-November. The Amsterdam native was appointed chief sports officer in September 2022. That was a new management position within Ajax. He had to focus on Sports Park de Toekomst, youth training and women’s football, among other things.
Although the football technical portfolio was not in his possession, he did appoint Sven Mislintat for the position of director of football affairs. That turned out badly. Mislintat was sent away within six months after a dramatic transfer summer.
Ajax reported on Wednesday that Hendriks had decided to leave “in close consultation with the supervisory board”. “It has been both a beautiful and educational time at this monumental club, with highs and lows,” Hendriks responds to the club site. “I am now ready for a new administrative role to deliver what I expect from myself professionally.”
Chairman Michael van Praag of the supervisory board (SB) thanks Hendriks for his “enormous efforts”. “In the short time I have worked with him, I have experienced how dedicated he is and how his analytical thinking has allowed him to introduce new structures.”
Before his period at Ajax, Hendriks was technical director of NOC*NSF for more than thirteen years. He was active as chef de mission of the Netherlands at three consecutive Olympic Games. Before that, he was successful as a coach of the Dutch hockey men.
Maurits Hendriks (left) nominated the now departed Sven Mislintat (right) as director of football affairs. Photo: ANP
Ajax is carrying out a reorganization
Hendriks is not the first director to leave the field due to the crisis at Ajax. Previously, technical director Mislintat had to leave after spending more than 120 million euros in the transfer summer on purchases that did not pay off. Supervisory board chairman Pier Eringa resigned due to heavy criticism of his performance.
Since then, a major reorganization has been going on within Ajax. Van Praag became chairman of the supervisory board in November. Louis van Gaal became an advisor to that body. Leo van Wijk and Danny Blind returned to the supervisory board, while Marijn Beuker was appointed as ‘Director of Football’.
Alex Kroes will start as general manager of Ajax on March 15. He will succeed Jan van Halst, who will do the honors because Kroes cannot come to Amsterdam earlier due to a non-competition clause from his old club AZ.
Ajax is having a dramatic season. The Amsterdam team is only in fifth place in the Eredivisie and was eliminated from the cup tournament by the amateurs of Hercules (3-2 defeat) in December. The Amsterdam team has qualified for the interim round of the Conference League.
2024-01-10 14:03:56
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