Michael van Praag is receiving heavy criticism after his recent statements about Marc Overmars. The chairman of the Ajax supervisory board announced last week that Overmars will not return to Ajax under his leadership. In doing so, he is getting in the way of other policy makers at Ajax, says journalist Mike Verweij The Telegraph.
Four weeks after Overmars’ departure, one of Van Praag’s predecessors, Leen Meijaard, is said to have contacted Overmars about a return. Van Praag spoke of a ‘one-man action’ and said that the commissioners at the time knew nothing about it. He commented in similar terms about the second attempt, which was said to have been made by Danny Blind between September and the end of December 2023: “Danny Blind did that in a personal capacity. It is a private action by Blind. He was not appointed in the supervisory board and has therefore never done so on behalf of Ajax,” Van Praag said.
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Blind subsequently returned to the supervisory board and now officially has a finger in the pie. But Van Praag’s attitude betrays that Blind has no illusions about Overmars’ return. “I actually also think that Michael van Praag threw Danny Blind under the bus,” says Verweij in the podcast Kick-Off van The Telegraph. “Van Praag says: ‘As long as I am there, Overmars will not come back.’ Van Praag seems to be staying there longer than many people at Ajax want, because he wants to stay there for three years instead of the short period he had promised.”
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“In doing so, he is getting in the way of the new director Alex Kroes,” the club watcher continues. “The apps show that Danny Blind would like him back. Although Blind did not have an official position at Ajax at the time, everyone knew that he would again take a seat on the supervisory board. Now Van Praag actually says: ‘It is ridiculous what Blind has done towards Overmars, because Overmars will not return as long as I am there.’”
According to Valentijn Driessen, it now appears that Overmars was ‘kicked out’ by the supervisory board, which was led by Meijaard at the time. “It was said that he decided by mutual agreement to resign from his position at Ajax.” Verweij answers: “In fact, I think it says official press release that he resigned and made the decision himself. That happened under very heavy pressure.”
Meijaard ultimately wanted to bring Overmars back because he noticed a lack of leadership after the departure of the director of football affairs. However, Verweij speaks of a ‘false representation’: other parts of the club management were allegedly not consulted about the decision to let Overmars leave. “There have also been directors, Susan Lenderink and Menno Geelen, who knew nothing about it. It was just a one-two punch between Edwin v der Sar and Meijaard. The rest of the management is not aware of this.”
By now opposing the return of Overmars, Van Praag is ‘in fact getting in the way of Alex Kroes and Danny Blind’, says Verweij, who receives support from Valentijn Driessen. “Alex Kroes cannot bring Overmars back, because he will then have Van Praag and the commissioners behind him.” Verweij responds: “Formally, Kroes could appoint him if they bring him back as titular director. I don’t know if you should want that. I actually don’t think so. Overmars doesn’t want that either. Now that Ajax has made this decision, they cannot make the same towards those women.”
The Telegraph seems to be targeting Van Praag, after numerous Ajax leaders had previously been tackled by the newspaper. In September, Maurits Hendriks, Sven Mislintat, Leen Meijaard, Edwin van der Sar, Jan van Halst, Pier Eringa, Susan Lenderink and the Ajax board of directors were already appointed as main culprits to the ‘ruin’ of Ajax, together with then trainer Maurice Steijn.
