Official: John Heitinga dismissed as Ajax head coach
Amsterdam’s Ajax has officially announced the suspension of John Heitinga from his role as head coach.
Details: The club’s official statement confirms that the coach’s contract, which was set to run until June 30, 2027, has been terminated early. The same decision has been made regarding his assistant, Marcel Keizer.
While the club searches for a new head coach, Fred Grim will take over Heitinga’s duties and is set to begin with the upcoming away match against Utrecht.
Club technical director Alex Kroes commented on the decision:
“This is a painful but necessary decision. Over the past months, things have not developed as we expected. We saw too little progress and dropped too many points for no reason. John was given time to build the team after the changes to the squad, but we have concluded that the club needs new leadership. We thank John and Marcel for their work and wish Fred the best of luck.”
Interestingly, Kroes himself also offered to step down as technical director, but the club’s board insisted he remain until the end of the season for the sake of stability.
Heitinga leaves Ajax after his second spell in charge with disappointing figures: 15 matches, 5 wins, 5 draws, and 5 defeats, a goal difference of 22–26, and not a single victory in four Champions League fixtures.
Reminder: Ajax is holding talks with Erik ten Hag.
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
