Ajax suspends director Kroes for buying club shares just before appointment

NOS Football•today, 08:51

The Amsterdammers announced in a press statement that the supervisory board has learned that Kroes purchased more than 17,000 Ajax shares a week before the publication of his intended appointment on August 2, 2023.

According to Ajax, which sought legal advice, it is very likely that Kroes acted with insider information. That is punishable. Kroes informed NOS that he would provide a response at a later date.

Kroes officially joined Ajax as general manager on March 15. Before that he worked at AZ.

Michael van Praag, the chairman of the supervisory board, is disappointed: “We are very unpleasantly surprised that this is now happening to Ajax, because this is very bad for the club and for everyone who cares about the club.”

Van Praag: “A listed company cannot tolerate such a violation of the law, especially if it concerns the CEO. After careful deliberation, the supervisory board has therefore come to the conclusion that Alex’s position as a board member of Ajax is not tenable.”

Kroes’ suspension is a new chapter in a turbulent administrative period for Ajax. For various reasons, the Amsterdam team said goodbye to Marc Overmars and Sven Mislintat (both technical director), Edwin van der Sar (general manager) and various head coaches in recent months.

One of Kroes’ objectives as general manager was to create peace. This is not yet the case in Amsterdam.