DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

14 October 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Election 2025
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Election 2025
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Ajax condemns Super League plan, club says it is ‘very disappointed’

April 20, 2021
Photo: Depositphotos.com
Photo: Depositphotos.com

Amsterdam football club Ajax has issued a statement saying it is ‘taken aback and disappointed’ by the decision by 12 European clubs to form a breakaway Super League.

Ajax had been mentioned as a possible partner in the project, which so far involves six English, three Spanish and three Italian clubs.

“Ajax is completely taken aback and disappointed by the announcement of a possible Super League. We support the new set-up proposed by UEFA, as confirmed on Monday.’’

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) April 19, 2021

‘We thought we had found the solution with the so-called Swiss model, with more international fixtures for more clubs,’ Ajax chairman Edwin van der Sar, who had been closely involved in those talks, said.

‘We are very disappointed in the sudden and late turnaround that fellow directors of some top international clubs have made this weekend, with the result that a very uncertain period threatens the horizon of European football.’

European football body Uefa, football associations including the KNVB, supporters organisations and even prime ministers have criticised the Super League plans.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has made his anger at the breakaway clear, describing it as a ‘disgraceful and self-serving proposal from clubs motivated by greed.’

One option on the table is to ban players from taking part in international competition, a move which would see captain Virgil van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong and Mathijs de Ligt out of the Dutch team. However Ceferin has admitted this is unlikely to happen before the 2020 European championships kick off.

Stab in the back

Former Ajax and Dutch FA chairman Michael van Praag has described the move as a ‘stab in the back‘ given the announcement was made to coincide with the publication of Uefa’s own plans.

He was particularly critical of Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, whom he described as a ‘common liar’ for telling Ceferin on Friday that he supported Uefa’s own reforms.

Lawyer and competition law expert Ruben Elkerbout told RTL he is sceptical about the Super League plan.

‘It is controversial and has many similarities with cartel forming, given it is a closed competition,’ he said. ‘They have a big pot of money and they want to divide it up between them. It does not have much to do with sport.’

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Europe Sport
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
Dutch prosecutors say no evidence Wilders is facing new risks
Illegal online gambling grows, outstrips licenced websites
Debate produces no clear winner as parties quibble over spending
Sky-high airport prices putting budget travellers off Schiphol
Dutch News readers back a centre left, two-party coalition
NewsHomeEconomyElection 2025Art and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you with up-to-date news about this month's Dutch general election.

Our thanks to everyone who donates regularly to Dutch News. It costs money to produce our daily news service, our original features and daily newsletters, and we could not do it without you.

If you have not yet made a donation, or did so a while ago, you can do so via these links

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now