Royal Antwerp have lost a sponsorship deal over the appointment of Marc Overmars as technical director, with the controversy surrounding the former star not going away simply by resigning from his post at .
Overmars left his director of football job at Ajax last month after admitting to sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues.
Somewhat surprisingly, Belgian side Royal Antwerp unveiled the Dutchman as their new technical director earlier this week, an extremely short time after disgracing himself in Amsterdam.
The Select Group were not impressed by the appointment, or by how Overmars was presented on Monday and confirmed they would be ending their sponsorship of the club.
A Select Group statement read: ‘As a permanent partner and sponsor of RAFC, we were neither consulted nor informed in advance.
‘The decision to appoint Mr Overmars, who was recently accused of repeated transgressive behaviour and who is currently subject to an independent investigation in the Netherlands, is directly against the values and standards of Select Group.
‘However, we sincerely believe that after a conscious period of self-reflection, every person deserves a second chance. We therefore deeply regret that during the press conference (announcing Overmars’ arrival) there was no mention of this process of self-reflection, neither by the management of RAFC nor by Mr Overmars himself.
‘We have therefore decided not to renew our partnership with RAFC for the 2022-2023 season.’
Overmars did mention the controversy at his former club, but only briefly, saying at his unveiling: ‘What has happened at Ajax won’t happen again.
‘I am glad to be here. It is a new chapter for me. A beautiful challenge at a club where I see potential to grow.’
Sven Jaecques, Antwerp’s general manager, said of the appointment: ‘It is important to give people new opportunities and to turn the page.’
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