Ajax: New Chairman Lesley Bamberger Aims for Champions League Success & Investment

Amsterdam – A sense of cautious optimism filled the Belgrado Hall at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Monday, despite a weekend defeat to FC Groningen that saw Ajax slide to fifth in the Eredivisie and prompted the dismissal of interim coach Fred Grim. The extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (bava) addressed the club’s future, though the recent coaching change was only implicitly discussed.

Grim’s name wasn’t mentioned during the hour-and-a-half-long meeting. “Naturally, we regret our position in the league table and the change that had to be made yesterday,” said Dirk Anbeek, leading the meeting on behalf of the supervisory board. Grim was replaced on Sunday evening by Spaniard Oscar García, who had been appointed coach of Jong Ajax just a month prior. The move comes amid a period of instability for the Amsterdam club.

The focus of Monday’s meeting was firmly on the future, and how Ajax, in Anbeek’s words, can become “competitive” again and compete for “prizes.” This will occur under the leadership of a newly appointed supervisory board, following the dissolution of the previous board in September. Three of the five members departed, including chairwoman Carolien Gehrels and technical director Danny Blind.

The five new supervisory board members installed on Monday largely approach from within the existing network of the supervisory board. This decision, Anbeek explained, was made due to past criticism that the search process often relied on external headhunters.

The new board members include property entrepreneur Lesley Bamberger (chairman), consultant Anita Coronel, lawyer Marry de Gaay Fortman, former professional footballer Edo Ophof, and co-founder of entertainment company ID&T Duncan Stutterheim. Dirk Anbeek remains from the previous board, bringing the total number of commissioners to six.

Amsterdam Billionaire Takes the Helm

Presentations on Monday morning indicated a more assertive course for the club. Bamberger’s appointment, in part due to the club’s financial situation – impacted by recent poor sporting results – was described as bringing a chairman “who is successful in business, who radiates decisiveness,” according to Anbeek. “Ajax is also a company that needs to earn money.” The previous chairman, Carolien Gehrels, was primarily known for her role as an alderman in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam-based billionaire Lesley Bamberger (60), owner of property developer Kroonenberg Groep and owner and commissioner of Almere City FC from 2010 to 2025, represents a distinct profile. “Particularly the business [aspect], but still with football as number one, that was decisive,” Anbeek said. Bamberger, with Almere City, has experience in “building up and selling” a football club.

Bamberger intends to foster a “strong organization” at Ajax that “facilitates” the football department, he stated. “I am remarkably straightforward. I don’t beat around the bush.” He pointedly noted that the Kroonenberg Groep, under his leadership, has won numerous real estate awards.

While Ajax’s league position casts doubt on Champions League qualification next season, the new president-commissioner made his ambitions clear. Bamberger stated, “I think we play Champions League in real estate, and I want that in football too.” He currently feels a lack of “enormous drive” needed to reach the top.

The question remains how – with which coach and with what resources. Failure to qualify for the Champions League next season will undoubtedly impact the club’s financial capabilities in the transfer market. Ajax reported a net loss of €37.3 million on a turnover of €178 million for the 2024-2025 season. The club cannot afford a Champions League-level budget while performances remain inconsistent and PSV dominates in the Netherlands.

Will Ajax Invest Forward?

The supervisory board will soon meet with the executive board to develop both a financial plan and a policy plan for the next three years, Anbeek said. In the past two years, “player budgets have been reduced in particular,” he noted – the salary bill. Anbeek now stated, “Naturally, as much of the budget as possible must benefit football.”

Whether that means Ajax will invest “creatively” – buying a player before selling one – remains to be seen. However, Ajax will adopt a more progressive strategy heading into the summer transfer window. Anbeek stated, “We will explore the space to facilitate the executive board to be as well-prepared as possible for next season.”

I am not the type who says: we build it up in three years

This sentiment is shared by Jordi Cruijff. The technical director, who began on February 1st, received a statutory appointment on Monday granting him signing authority for (multi-million euro) transfers. Like Bamberger, he doesn’t appear to have much patience. This was evident last month with the dismissal of Jong Ajax coach Willem Weijs and again this weekend with the change of coach at the first team.

“I am not the type who says: we build it up in three years,” Cruijff said. “I come, I want to win immediately. That’s a bit in my mentality and my culture. I probably got that from home.” Having fired two coaches in less than a year and a half is “part of the job.”

The tone and approach are different from recent years, when financial constraints were often emphasized. “We are going all-in,” Bamberger said. This weekend, Ajax faces Sparta, currently seventh in the league and just six points behind. Bamberger stated, “Everything that happens on Sunday will determine how you think about us.”

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Ajax’s next test comes this Sunday against Sparta Rotterdam. The match, scheduled for 14:30 CET, will be a crucial indicator of the new board’s immediate impact. Fans will be watching closely to see if Bamberger’s promise of a more aggressive approach translates to results on the pitch.