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Dutch football club Ajax announced Thursday that it had dismissed head coach John Heitinga following a 3-0 home defeat to Turkish side Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League, a result that left the Amsterdam giants bottom of their group with no points from four games.
The club said assistant coach Fred Grim would temporarily take charge of the first team while a search for a new manager continues. Ajax’s management cited a disappointing start to the season as the main reason behind the decision, noting the club’s struggles both in Europe and domestically.
"Ajax is looking for a new head coach," the club said in a statement, adding that Heitinga’s two-year contract signed in May would be terminated.
Technical director Alex Kroes described the move as a "painful decision" but said it was necessary for the club’s future. He acknowledged that while Heitinga had been given time to adapt to a reshaped squad, the team’s lack of progress forced the board to act.
Kroes, who offered his own resignation in the wake of the team’s poor run, said the board asked him to stay until the end of the season to maintain continuity. "Should the club appoint a new technical director earlier, I will hand over my responsibilities at that time," he said.
Heitinga, a former Ajax player and Dutch international who represented clubs including Atletico Madrid and Everton, took over as head coach in May after serving in various roles at the club. Ajax’s current struggles follow a dramatic collapse at the end of the previous season, when the team surrendered a nine-point lead in the final five matches to lose the Eredivisie title to PSV Eindhoven.
Ajax’s defeat to Galatasaray was their fourth consecutive loss in the Champions League. Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen scored all three goals for the Istanbul club — including two penalties — while Ajax managed only two shots on target during the match.
The loss followed a 5-1 defeat to Chelsea, a 4-0 loss to Marseille, and a 2-0 setback against Inter Milan, leaving Ajax with one goal scored and 14 conceded in the group stage.
In the Dutch Eredivisie, Ajax sits fourth, eight points behind leaders Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven.
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