Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer.
He confirmed the story through his Twitter handle when he posted; “This day is a special one for me. In 1989 I arrived in Amsterdam as a young goalkeeper. As of today I’m the CEO of @AFCAjax.”
The former Red Devils player takes over from Dolf Collee who is set to exit in a year. The appointment confirmation came during the Annual General Meeting of shareholders. Van der Sar would relinquish his former commercial director role to Menno van Geelen as he prepares to assume his new office whilst he remains the technical chair of the club.
The player also recently joined the board of Ajax Cape Town. He was announced a member as the club wanted to tap into his wealth of experience as a top football brand. Van der Sar was with Ajax Amsterdam before his move to Old Trafford. He has featured for Juventus and Fulham as well and is expected to help the Urban Warriors improve.
“I think this is a great step by the club and directors. We are delighted to have him on board as we all know him as one of the most celebrated football legends of the game.
“He joins the Cape Town-based directors bringing with him lots of experience and a wealth of knowledge. We are pleased and we hope to take the brand to the world as we used to. We are confident that he will add to the strong board we currently have,” the club’s commercial director Alexi Efstathiou said.
Efstathiou added that they expected the visit of Van der Sar next year when they discuss and collaborate with Ajax Amsterdam.