By: EFE Updated 07 Feb 2022, 54: 06 pm EST
The Royal Netherlands Football Federation asked the workers of the clubs on Monday to denounce situations of sexual harassment, hours after the resignation of Marc Overmars as technical director of the Ajax for sending “inappropriate messages” to employees of the Amsterdam team.
“Please, denounce. It doesn’t matter how hard it is. It can be done anonymously through the confidential contact person of your club, the federation or the Sports Security Center”, said the highest authority of Dutch football.
The federation assured that he has received the news about Overmars with “dismay” and that ensuring a safe sporting climate has been part of the licensing requirements for two years.
“Clubs also have the obligation to report inappropriate behavior”, added the federation.
Ajax announced last Sunday, late at night, the resignation of Overmars for sending “inappropriate messages to several co-workers for a long period of time”.
Directeur voetbalzaken Marc Overmars vertrekt per direct bij Ajax. Dit heeft hij na gesprekken in de afgelopen dagen met de Raad van Commissarissen (RvC) en algemeen directeur Edwin van der Sar besloten en aan hen meegedeeld.
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 6, 2022
2022
Overmars himself acknowledged the facts in the club’s statement and claimed to feel “ashamed”.
“I offer my apologies. Certainly for someone in my position, that behavior was not acceptable. I see it now, but it’s too late so I don’t see any other option but to leave Ajax”, he added.
The resignation has taken the Dutch football world by surprise, as the rojiblanco club renewed his contract two months ago and was considered one of the great forerunners of the team’s success in recent years.
The chairman of the Ajax Supervisory Board, Leen Meijaard, said that the messages of the now former technical director to his co-workers “had crossed the limits” and his continuity in the team “was not an option”.
The club did not reveal the identity of the victims or the content of the messages. “Het Parool”, a national newspaper, reported that Overmars sent a photo of his genitals to an Ajax worker. Another prestigious media outlet in the Netherlands, the NRC newspaper, announced that it will publish more details about the case this Monday.
According to “Het Parool”, the investigation began as a result of the scandal that emerged in “The Voice of Holland”, a television program whose broadcast was suspended between complaints of sexual harassment of some of its members.
Ajax sporting director, Edwin van der Sar, sent A few days later, an email was sent to the club’s employees indicating the two trusted people they could contact if they needed to communicate complaints about safety at work, which made it possible for at least one worker to file a complaint.