He was supposed to make up for the lost championship title, but four months after taking office, John Heitinga is no longer the coach of Ajax Amsterdam. Things took a strange turn for the technical director on Thursday.
Two of the 36 participants are still without a single point halfway through the Champions League group stage. José Mourinho with Benfica Lisbon – and bottom-of-the-table Ajax Amsterdam with John Heitinga. One day after the 0-3 home defeat against Galatasaray, he has now lost his coaching position at the top Dutch club. His initial two-year term thus became a four-month interlude.
As Ajax officially announced on Thursday, Heitinga’s contract, which was valid until summer 2027, was terminated with immediate effect. The 41-year-old, who had enjoyed great success with the club as a player, had only been appointed in the summer after Ajax squandered what seemed to be a certain championship title in the final stages of the season. Defending champions PSV Eindhoven won the title by a single point.
Ajax is currently only fourth in the table, already eight points behind leaders Feyenoord Rotterdam and second-placed PSV. Davy Klaassen and Wout Weghorst’s team has won only one of its last seven competitive games.
“It’s a painful decision,” admits technical director Alex Kroes. “But when you look at the last few months, we have to conclude that we had imagined things would be very different. We are seeing too little development and have lost unnecessary points. We know that it can take time for a new coach to work with a team that has undergone changes. We gave John that time, but we think it’s best for the club to put someone else in charge of the team.”
Kroes wants to resign, but is not allowed to do so for the time being
Until a new head coach is found – Bayer Leverkusen’s short-term coach Erik ten Hag was immediately linked with a return – assistant coach Fred Grim will take over on an interim basis. Heitinga himself was interim coach at Ajax for six months in 2023 before gaining experience as assistant coach at West Ham United under David Moyes and Liverpool FC under his compatriot Arne Slot.
Kroes himself would also like to step down, but is not allowed to do so for the time being. According to the club, the technical director resigned, but was asked by the other board members and the supervisory board to remain in office for the time being “in the interests of continuity.” He will now leave in the summer at the latest, when his contract expires.
“If the club hires a new technical director earlier, I will hand over my duties at that point,” announced the 50-year-old, who initially joined Ajax as CEO in 2024 but was suspended in the meantime on suspicion of insider trading. He then slipped into his new role.
