‘Hope experienced at Ajax, has reached low point’

Edwin van der Sar has explained his departure as general manager of Ajax. He stepped down this morning after a season in which the Amsterdammers did not get beyond third place.

“It’s not nothing, eleven years of Ajax. I’ve experienced a lot,” Van der Sar stated to Ajax TV. “Beautiful things, and less beautiful things. In recent days that has come to a low point. It is tough, but I am grateful that I have been able to do this for eleven years at Ajax. I really look back on it with a lot of pleasure.”

Former goalkeeper Van der Sar had been director of Ajax since 2016, and under his leadership there were also great successes, such as reaching the semifinals of the Champions League in 2019.

The reason for withdrawing now was a combination of factors. Van der Sar: “You have continuous pressure on you, but I’m used to that from my soccer career. At some point it’s enough, and then you have to look at yourself. Can you still bring what you want to bring, or do other people have to take the lead in that?”

“Ideally you say goodbye with a championship trophy, but this year didn’t turn out to be what we had anticipated and hoped for, and also somewhat expected. That hurts, not just me, but everyone who cares about Ajax.”