Edwin van der Sar and his family were harassed by drunken fans ahead of Ajax's defeat to bitter rivals Feyenoord on Sunday, it has been claimed.
It is believed the Manchester United legend and his loved ones were cornered by four drunk men in the car park of Ajax's Johan Cruyff Arena before kick-off. Van der Sar has been Ajax's CEO since 2016 after spending four years as their marketing director.
Ajax have struggled since successful manager Erik ten Hag left for Man Utd last summer. The defending champions are six points behind leaders Feyenoord in the Eredivisie table and could miss out on the title for the first time since the 2017/18 campaign.
As reported by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, security guards were forced to intervene and remove the four individuals from the stadium's parameters after their drunken antics.
One fan even told Van der Sar to reappoint Marc Overmars. The former Netherlands international was forced to resign from his position as Ajax's director of football in February 2022 after sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues.
Overmars, who played for Arsenal and Barcelona, has tried to rebuilt his executive career since the scandal and is now Royal Antwerp's technical director - joining in March 2022.
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Tensions at Ajax have also been building over the team's disappointing season. The Dutch giants won three consecutive league titles and two Dutch Cups under Ten Hag before his move to Old Trafford, with the 2019/20 term scrapped due to the Covid pandemic.
Ten Hag was succeeded by Alfred Schreuder, the former Barcelona assistant manager. Schreuder's time in charge of Ajax did not go to plan, as they struggled to keep pace in the title race and were dumped out of the Champions League in the group stage.
Ajax were also humbled 5-3 by PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Super Cup and went on a run of seven league games without a win, which is unacceptable for a club of their stature. Schreuder was replaced with Johnny Heitinga, the former Everton defender, in January.
Heitinga, who was promoted from Ajax's second team, made a brilliant start to life in senior management by winning seven consecutive league games to reignite their title hopes. Yet a 3-2 defeat to Feyenoord on Sunday has put a dampener on their revival.
Van der Sar will be under significant pressure if Heitinga fails to deliver success in the hot seat. The former goalkeeper is best known for representing Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Man Utd during his glittering career, which saw him earn 130 international caps.
Van der Sar won plenty of honours during his career - including four Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and the UEFA Cup - before pursuing a career in football administration. Ajax have enjoyed success since Var der Sar's appointment as CEO, and the Dutch icon was even linked with a similar role at Old Trafford last year.
