“The choice to appoint Mr Overmars, who was recently accused of repeated transgressive behavior and who is currently still subject to an independent investigation in the Netherlands, goes directly against the values and standards of our Select Group,” said a statement. of the company in Belgian media. “We are very surprised by this decision. As a permanent partner and sponsor of RAFC, we were neither consulted nor informed beforehand.”
Antwerp presented Overmars as technical director on Monday, six weeks after he resigned from Ajax as a result of transgressive behavior towards female employees of the club.
Select Groep is therefore no longer the only sponsor of Antwerp who will stop due to the appointment of the Dutchman. “However, we sincerely believe that after a conscious period of self-reflection, every person can gain insight and deserve a second chance,” says Select Groep.
“We therefore deeply regret that the moment was missed during the press conference to bear witness serenely, cautiously and deliberately to this process of self-reflection and the acquired insight, neither by the management of RAFC nor by Mr Overmars himself. Nor have we heard or seen any care in communication or in dealing with the problem.”
‘Signal’
Descroes is now also following the example of Select Group. The port company has already been a partner of the club for three years and has a two-year agreement with the club, but wants to end it.
“We informed Antwerp this morning that we are canceling the contract,” said co-owner Maxim Van Hoorebeeck of Descroes in Belgian media. “In recent years we have worked on professionalisation, values and standards and more women in the workplace. We want to send a clear signal that we do not think like the Antwerp board.”
The company says it has a two-year agreement and that it will bear any consequences for the termination of the contract. “It is a pity that the appointment of Overmars was not discussed with the sponsors first.”
Federal Insurance also hands off Antwerp
Federale Verzekering also informed RAFC Antwerp today that it is immediately terminating its sponsorship contract. “The reason for this termination is the appointment of Marc Overmars as technical director. As a sponsor we are not and do not wish to be involved in the personnel policy of the club. We only learned of this appointment through the press, which we regret. Given the nature of the facts, which conflict with our standards and values, we are forced to terminate our sponsorship contract with immediate effect.”
ZNA puts cooperation on hold
With the appointment of Overmars as sporting director of RAFC, Hospital Network Antwerp is putting the collaboration with the club on hold. In concrete terms, this means that ZNA will no longer accept money or goods from the club, and will no longer accept proposals to let patients kick off or attend a match.
“We have always appreciated the cooperation with the club. If we want to keep looking our thousands of employees and hundreds of thousands of patients in the eye, we cannot afford to continue with this. Respect and professionalism are two of our core values. We continue these values in the contacts with and choice of our partners.”
Furthermore, Heylen Vastgoed, one of Antwerp’s main sponsors, is not happy with how the club has approached the appointment of Overmars. “We had a conversation with the club in which we expressed our concerns,” says partner Cedric Vanhencxthoven. “We have urged the club to communicate clearly about the matter, because the press conference was not sufficient in that regard. Furthermore, we hope that the club has done everything in the talks to prevent the events that happened in the past from being repeated.”
Port of Antwerp is waiting
An RAFC Board of Directors is scheduled for next week, where the controversial press communication about the new sports director at Antwerp is on the agenda. CEO of Port of Antwerp, Jacques Vandermeiren, independent director of RAFC: “It goes without saying that this will be an extremely important item on the agenda. The theme touches me as a person and manager. This is a very important agenda item and a fundamental social theme, which we as directors wish to discuss directly. The dialogue about this will be held internally next week at the Board of Directors. It is our role as directors to put this high on the agenda. We will communicate after this Board of Directors.”
After this Board of Directors, Port of Antwerp will also evaluate how to proceed with the sponsorship contract of Royal Antwerp FC.
Many other sponsors also have questions and criticize the club’s lack of communication. “The intention is to talk to all sponsors,” it sounds in a statement at Antwerp. “Some of those conversations have already taken place. Others are planned or pending.”
More about Marc Overmars’ transfer to Antwerp in the football podcast kick off†