Ajax suspends John Heitinga with immediate effect

Technical director Alex Kroes: "It's a painful decision. But looking back at the past few months, we must conclude that things have turned out quite differently from what we had envisioned. We’ve seen too little progress and have unnecessarily dropped points. We know it can take time for a new coach to work with a squad that has undergone changes. We have given John that time, but we believe it’s best for the club to appoint someone else to lead the team. We hope to present a new head coach together as soon as possible. We thank John and Marcel for their efforts and wish Fred the best of luck, starting with Sunday’s away match in Utrecht."

Alex Kroes has made his position available with immediate effect, but the other board members and the Supervisory Board have strongly urged the technical director to remain in place for the sake of continuity. Kroes said: "My contract runs until the end of the season; should the club appoint a new technical director earlier, I will hand over my responsibilities at that time."