Former Ajax president-commissioner Pier Eringa says in an interview with NRC only ‘very late’ had doubts about ex-technical director Sven Mislintat and his actions at Ajax. In the interview, Eringa says that the first signal about Mislintat’s apparently obscure transfers only reached the Supervisory Board at the end of August, when the competition had already started.
In the interview, the now resigned chairman of the Supervisory Board looks back on his short time at the club. He also says that the Supervisory Board has had ‘no doubts’ about Mislintat’s transfers for a long time. “We had no other signals than that the transfers were normal clean goods. Now it remains to be seen whether that is really the case,” Eringa said in NRC.
Only when coach Steijn spoke out after a disappointing start to the season was a signal sent to the Supervisory Board. “Then Steijn got over it: I have the feeling that I have been overruled. That was a very important signal for us: ow, ow, what happened here?” Eringa says to the newspaper.
Reconstruction
An extensive reconstruction by the newspaper showed last week that Ajax executives knew that they were taking a risk when Mislintat received a contract. People who knew the German from previous positions would have warned the club that he would sometimes be difficult to work with.
In the interview, Eringa says that the Supervisory Board ‘had insight into his qualities and points of interest’. He does admit that ‘with what we know now’ Mislintat should have been ‘tighter’.