NOS Football•today, 10:30
Marc Overmars can return to work as technical director at Royal Antwerp. His suspension for inappropriate behavior during his Ajax period expires this weekend.
Overmars was suspended by the Sports Jurisprudence Institute (ISR) for two years in November 2023, of which one year was conditional. That work ban was subsequently taken over by world football association FIFA.
Worldwide suspension
The former footballer left Ajax at the beginning of 2022 following cross-border messages he had sent to a female employee. Less than two months later he signed as technical director in Antwerp.
Because the international football association FIFA took over the suspension, it also affected his work in Belgium. Overmars appealed against his worldwide ban, but that was rejected. He subsequently refrained from further action.
Earlier this year, research by NOS showed that Ajax tried twice to bring Marc Overmars back to the club.
Overmars reveals: ‘Ajax approached twice for a return’
At Royal Antwerp, Overmars’ tasks were temporarily taken over by CEO Sven Jaecques and the scouting team. However, Overmars, who suffered permanent damage to his heart due to a myocardial infarction at the end of 2022, was allowed to have informal contact. From this weekend there will be no more obstacles.
“We still believe that everyone should be given a second chance,” the Belgian club said after the suspension became permanent. “Overmars will continue to carry his past with him and will have to continue to prove that he has learned from it.”
