Follow usThe Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced on Wednesday that former Netherlands international Marc Overmars will be barred from holding any position in professional football for a minimum of one year due to inappropriate behavior towards women during his time at Ajax Amsterdam.
This confirmation by the KNVB aligns with earlier reports in Dutch newspaper NRC, citing FIFA’s involvement in taking over the suspension imposed on Overmars in the Netherlands in late 2022. Overmars resigned from his position at Ajax in February 2022, acknowledging “unacceptable” behavior when it was revealed within the club that he had sent inappropriate messages and photos to several women working there.
In a verdict issued by an independent sports tribunal last year, Overmars was banned from holding any position in Dutch football for two years, with one year of the penalty suspended. The KNVB subsequently sought FIFA’s intervention to extend the domestic suspension globally.
“We have a duty to report this sanction to FIFA’s disciplinary committee … which has decided to take over the suspension as of Nov. 16, 2023,” stated the KNVB in an official announcement.
As of now, Overmars serves as the technical director at the Belgian club Royal Antwerp, a role he assumed shortly after leaving Ajax abruptly. A spokesperson for Overmars, responding to NRC, mentioned that while he is aware of the suspension, he is not yet prepared to provide a comment.
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