Edwin van der Sar steps down at Ajax, citing “difficult period”

Ajax football club director Edwin van der Sar is stepping down on June 1, saying after 11 years on the club board he has “had it”. 

Van der Sar has been under fire over the club’s poor performance this season and calls for him to quit have been mounting. Ajax ended this year’s competition in 3rd place, its lowest ranking since 2009.

“We have done a lot of great things but this has been an incredibly difficult period,” Van der Sar said in a statement on the club website. “I need to take a distance, to reset, and to do other things. It would not feel right to take decisions now about the future of this great club, hence my decision to stop.”

Van der Sar’s tasks will be taken over by the current board and he will remain available in an advisory role until August. 

Supervisory board chairman Pier Eringa said the club hopes to have a new board lined up as soon as possible after August 1. “Our ambition is to add someone with an Ajax background to the board,” he said. 

Former keeper Van der Sar, who has 130 caps as an international, joined Ajax as marketing chief in November 2012 and was appointed director in 2016. His contract ran for two more years. 

The Telegraaf said that Van der Sar has marketing chief helped bring in a massive amount of sponsorship money with telecoms company Ziggo. He also formed a “fantastic” grouping with Marc Overmars (sacked for sexual harassment) and Erik ten Hag, who left last season for Manchester United.