Edwin Van Der Sar has resigned from his position as the CEO of Ajax.
The former Manchester United goalie became chief executive of the club in 2016 having joined the board in 2012.
Ajax came in third place in the just concluded season, losing out on the Champions League for the first time since 2009, and qualified for the Europa League play-offs.
Speaking on his resignation, Van Der Sar said:
“We have experienced wonderful things together, but it has also been an incredibly tough period,”
“I feel the need to take some distance, to get some rest, and to do other things. It doesn’t feel good to take decisions about the future of this wonderful club in the coming period. That is why I have decided to resign”
Ajax had not finished outside of the top two in the Eredivisie for 14 years, but they ended the 2022–23 season 12 points behind league Champions Feyenoord and six points behind PSV Eindhoven who finished second.
They were defeated by German team Union Berlin in the Europa League knock out round and were unable to advance past the group stages of the Champions League.
Former coach Alfred Schreuder, who took over for the departing Erik ten Hag last summer was fired in January and was succeeded by former Everton defender John Heitinga.