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Ajax has taken note, with displeasure, of the intention by the KNVB to resume the Eredivisie in June. The club wants the season to be stopped now that it’s clear that the concerns about the Coronavirus won’t be gone anytime soon, De Telegraaf reports.

On Tuesday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that football will not be allowed in the Netherlands until at least June 1. Followedby a meeting of UEFA, which decided to postpone the deadline of the competitions. The European Association first wanted all leagues to be completed before June 30; now, summer football is seen as a possibility. August 3 is the new target date for the end of the leagues.

‘Why is the discussion about money and not public health at the moment?’, Marc Overmars, Director of Football Affairs, wonders. ‘I had hoped that the KNVB would make an independent decision, but instead, they’re hiding behind the UEFA.’

Overmars is annoyed. “I’m just having trouble with how it’s going, in Holland are not as dependent on TV money as the competitions in Spain, England, Italy and Germany. I think the big countries have put pressure on UEFA to continue playing football at all costs. And UEFA also benefits from that, because playing or not playing the Champions League means a difference of hundreds of millions of euros,’ Overmars stated.

‘I’m comparing UEFA and the KNVB at the moment with US President Donald Trump a week ago: the economy is more important than the coronavirus. Hello! More than a hundred people die every day in the Netherlands from the effects of the coronavirus.’

In the Eredivisie, eight full rounds of play still have to be completed. In addition, Ajax will have to catch up with FC Utrecht. Overmars emphasizes that his point of view has nothing to do with the fact that the Amsterdammers are now at the top of the Eredivisie. ‘Playing in these times is just irresponsible.’

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