Ajax Amsterdam has parted ways with coach Maurice Steijn with immediate effect, the club announced on Monday evening. This was the Dutch record champion’s reaction to the ongoing sporting crisis.
Next to last in the Eredivisie after seven games played with just one win and five points, plus four league defeats in a row, still no win in the Europa League and a 3:4 defeat against previous bottom of the table Utrecht last Sunday. Ajax Amsterdam is knee-deep in a sporting crisis, which is now leading to further personnel consequences.
The club announced on its website that it had reached an agreement with head coach Maurice Steijn for the 49-year-old to step down from his post. This ends the tenure of the Dutchman after just four months – only in June he had signed a contract with Ajax until summer 2026.
According to the report, the decision was made after extensive talks between Steijn and the club’s board on Monday. “We have come to the conclusion that this is the best decision for Ajax, even though I regret it,” Steijn was quoted as saying in an official press release.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I tried everything to bring Ajax back to the point where this club belongs. But I didn’t succeed,” Steijn continued. “I want to thank the fans and the people I worked with here, and I hope Ajax will soon find its way back to the top.”
Interim general manager Jan van Halst explained the decision by citing the lack of sporting success and development at the 36-time Dutch champions. “That’s why we sat down again today. Maurice has expressed his concerns about whether he is the right man in the right place. Together we decided that we will part ways,” said van Halst.
Maduro takes over on the sidelines
In the near future, Hedwiges Maduro is to take over on the sidelines at Ajax and lead the traditional club out of the bottom of the table. The change in the coach’s chair is not the only personnel consequence of the poor start to the season. Technical Director Sven Mislintat was criticized for his transfer policy, and a conflict of interest in the signing of Borna Sosa was also his undoing. He was forced to resign at the end of September.
