The former Dutch international had to leave his post as sporting director of Ajax Amsterdam in early February following a scandal. Overmars had indeed, for a long period, sent “inappropriate” messages to several female colleagues. “The arrival of Marc Overmars has raised many questions and the criticism is justified,” the club responded in a statement on Thursday. “We made a crucial mistake in our announcement because we failed to communicate the most important thing: that a safe working environment for all of our players and staff is a priority, and that we have zero tolerance for undesirable behaviors in the workplace.
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The ‘Great Old’ ensures that the “well-being” of its employees is “central to the way it works” and that a code of conduct has been in place for years. The club also point out that they spoke with Overmars regarding what happened at Ajax. “It goes without saying that we have made it clear that we apply zero tolerance at our club and what the consequences are if it is not respected,” the statement added.
Antwerp also specifies that all its employees have been consulted and that they have been able to ask the necessary questions. “They are fully confident that they can continue to rely on a positive and safe working environment in the future. We believe that everyone should be given a second chance. Marc Overmars will continue to carry his past with him and will have to prove that he has learned from it, just as he will have to prove himself in sport.”