Amsterdam’s storied football club Ajax has dismissed head coach John Heitinga, a move that underscores the team’s deepening struggles just weeks before a crucial UEFA Champions League match.
The club announced Heitinga’s departure on Thursday, confirming that other members of the technical staff, including assistant Marcel Keizer, also left their positions.
This managerial change comes as Ajax prepares to face Portugal’s Benfica on November 25 in the UEFA Champions League. Both teams are seeking their first points in the league phase of the competition, which will be held at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Heitinga’s dismissal follows a string of poor performances, with the team securing only one victory in its last seven matches. He leaves Ajax in fourth place in the domestic league, eight points behind co-leaders Feyenoord and PSV.
The former Dutch international’s return to Amsterdam as head coach did not meet expectations. Despite serving a year as an assistant to Arne Slot at Liverpool and previously coaching Ajax’s 2022/23 Eredivisie runners-up, his accumulated experience failed to improve the team’s results.
His brief tenure included some peculiar moments, notably an incident where player Raúl Moro was substituted into a 0-2 loss against Inter without clear instructions on his playing position.
Heitinga later took responsibility for the error. “It was our mistake,” he said. “Raúl should have played on the right wing from the moment he came on, but there was a lack of communication. I take responsibility for that moment’s mistake.”