Global Ban: Marc Overmars aces Worldwide Football sanctions for Harassment
Former Dutch international Marc Overmars, suspended in the Netherlands for any football-related activity due to sending explicit images to colleagues, has now faced the same sanction globally by FIFA, as announced by the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) on Wednesday.
Overmars, who was handed a one-year ban from football-related activities in the Netherlands in November 2023 for sending explicit photos and videos to employees during his time as the sporting director of Ajax Amsterdam, now sees this sanction extended worldwide.
Having resigned from his position in February 2022, expressing “shame” for sending inappropriate messages to colleagues, he was appointed technical director of Royal Antwerp in Belgium a month later.
The Dutch Sports Tribunal (ISR) had previously issued a ban preventing the former winger from holding any position within an organization affiliated with the Dutch Football Federation for two years, with one year suspended.
«The KNVB is obligated to share this sanction with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. They then decide whether this sanction should also be imposed at the international level», explained the Dutch Federation to AFP.
«This has now been done, and the Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the sanction», it added.
Marc Overmars had been the sporting director of Ajax since 2012, contributing to the club’s successes, including a UEFA Champions League semi-final appearance in 2019 and a UEFA Europa League final in 2017.
A renowned winger in the 1990s, Overmars won the prestigious European club trophy with Ajax in 1995.
Transferred to Arsenal, he secured the Premier League title in 1998 before moving to FC Barcelona in 2000.
As a Dutch international, he participated in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, finishing in fourth place.
