Ajax president-commissaris Lesley Bamberger confirmed during the club’s annual general meeting of shareholders on Tuesday that the Eredivisie side is not seeking external financial investors to resolve its current operational deficit.
Bamberger Rejects External Capital Injections
Addressing shareholders, Bamberger dismissed suggestions that the club should solicit funds from wealthy individuals to stabilize its financial position. The discussion was prompted by inquiries regarding real estate magnate Cor van Zadelhoff, who has recently moved to distribute portions of his fortune.
According to reporting by VoetbalPrimeur, Bamberger clarified that Van Zadelhoff has no intention of investing in the Amsterdam club. When the shareholder persisted, Bamberger stated: “I think I know Cor better than you… Next question,” as cited by the Algemeen Dagblad.
When attendees asked if he could use his own network of wealthy contacts to secure an immediate cash injection, the club president remained firm.
“So you are actually suggesting that I should quickly go and talk to a number of billionaires to put money into Ajax? We are going to do it the way that belongs to Ajax, in a structural way,” Bamberger said. Bamberger himself is also a real estate entrepreneur and billionaire.
Ajax Implements Strict Cost-Cutting to Reduce Operational Losses
The rejection of outside investment comes as the club continues to navigate a challenging financial landscape. Financieel directeur Shashi Baboeram Panday confirmed that Ajax must maintain strict cost-cutting measures to reduce operational losses, as reported by AT5.
Costs rose last year, driven primarily by higher salary costs due to participation in the Champions League and one-off financial setbacks such as the suspended match against FC Groningen and the dismissal of head coach John Heitinga. The club recorded an operational result that was negative for the 2025/2026 season, compared to the previous year. A small improvement, but not enough, recognized Panday.
To address these figures, management is prioritizing increased financial discipline, cost savings where possible, and the implementation of more flexible player contracts with the ultimate goal of ensuring Ajax is no longer dependent on sporting successes and major transfer window profits.
Commitment to Youth Development and Stock Listing
Despite the austerity measures, the club leadership emphasized that its core identity remains unchanged. Bamberger said that Ajax will continue to focus on its youth academy, describing it as the “DNA” of the organization, according to AjaxLife. “Ajax is and remains a training club. That is our DNA. We want to become the best training club in the country and even the world. Sporting performance and the youth academy together are the cork on which this club floats. That is the path to financial sustainability,” Bamberger said.
The club intends to remain listed on the stock exchange, with Bamberger noting that “It is good to emphasize that it is not obvious that we will leave the stock exchange. It costs a lot of money and it provides no solutions to the challenges we have as a club,” while adding that all options are left open.
The search for a new main sponsor also remains a primary objective following the conclusion of the partnership with Ziggo after 12.5 years. Algemeen directeur Menno Geelen expressed confidence in the ongoing search, noting that “Several parties are very interested,” and thanking Ziggo for all those years while confirming that scenarios were already prepared and multiple conversations had taken place.
Menno Geelen also praised commercial director Cas Biesta and his team for maintaining commercial stability and growth despite scarcity, noting that season ticket waiting lists are larger than ever and that ticketing also saw alternative attendance during events such as the Conference League qualification series when season card holders were on vacation.
True critical questions were absent, allowing the meeting to be closed quite quickly while shareholders were thanked for coming.
Shareholder Inquiries on Club Policy
The meeting included a range of questions from shareholders regarding the club’s trajectory over the next four to six years. Attendees raised concerns about ticket availability, with demand for season tickets remaining high, and discussed the club’s commercial strategy under the direction of Cas Biesta.
While some shareholders requested changes to team culture, such as questioning whether players celebrate goals too egoistically—to which Menno Geelen responded, “I don’t care how players celebrate,” and another attendee asking if the club could do something about the NOS Sunday evening broadcast of Eredivisie highlights featuring too much talk and too little football, to which Bamberger gave the polite response, “I hear what you are saying”—as well as an expressed desire from an attendee to choose a female candidate as the new general director, met with calls of “Hear, hear,” the board maintained its focus on structural financial management and the continued development of the club’s youth pipeline.
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