Royal Antwerp’s players show public support for Marc Overmars after he was banned from holding ANY position in football for at least a year due to inappropriate behaviour while at Ajax
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Royal Antwerp’s players showed a show of support and defiance towards technical director Marc Overmars after he was banned from holding any position in football for at least a year.
Earlier this month, the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced that Overmars would not be allowed to hold any position in professional football for at least a year due to his inappropriate behavior towards women at Ajax.
At the request of the KNVB, FIFA extrapolated it to a global ban, which will take effect in January, but Overmars plans to appeal.
His role as technical director at Royal Antwerp is currently on ice, but the first team players were keen to show their support.
āOvermars, behind you forever,ā read the banner, which started in the stands with supporters before being passed to the players.
Royal Antwerp players held up a banner in support of Marc Overmars: ‘Forever behind you’
Overmars has been given a one-year global football ban for inappropriate behavior towards women during his time at Ajax
“That is what characterizes this club,” coach Mark van Bommel said to the media afterwards.
‘That was apparently already the case in Antwerp in the second division.
‘It’s a raw club, but they stand behind the club and everyone who works at the club as one man. That’s great, that doesn’t happen very often.’
The gesture of the Antwerp players, who showed solidarity in supporting Overmars after a match against Charleroi, was not well received everywhere.
But Antwerp as a club is not deterred by criticism, while Overmars is still a popular figure.
Overmars resigned from Ajax in February 2022 and admitted to ‘unacceptable’ behavior after it emerged within the club that he had sent inappropriate messages and photos to several women who worked there.
Overmars resigned from Ajax in 2022 after admitting ‘unacceptable’ behaviour
Last year, an independent sports tribunal banned Overmars from holding any position in Dutch football for two years due to the incidents, one year of which was conditional.
The KNVB then asked FIFA to convert the domestic suspension into a global suspension.
“We have a duty to report this sanction to the FIFA disciplinary committee… which has decided to take over the suspension with effect from November 16, 2023,” the KNVB said in a statement.
Overmars is technical director at Belgian Royal Antwerp, where he started working shortly after his sudden departure from Ajax.
A spokesperson for Overmars told NRC that the former Dutch, Arsenal and Barcelona winger was aware of the suspension, but was not yet prepared to comment.