Ajax Amsterdam suspends director Kroes for buying club shares just before appointment

NETHERLANDS / AMSTERDAM: The supervisory board of Ajax has decided to immediately suspend the new general manager Alex Kroes and intends to permanently terminate the collaboration.
The Amsterdammers announced in a press statement that the supervisory board has learned that Kroes purchased more than 17,000 Ajax shares a week before the publication of his intended appointment on August 2, 2023.
According to Ajax, which sought legal advice, it is very likely that Kroes acted with insider information. That is punishable. A shareholders' meeting will be held shortly to make a decision on the proposed dismissal.

Not long after Ajax's press release, Kroes himself also issued a statement. In it he confirms that he owns Ajax shares, but that the club was already aware of this. He is appealing against his suspension with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets.
"It is a share package of which Ajax was already aware at the time of my appointment in August 2023. During that period, I naturally provided full disclosure to the supervisory board about relevant assets, including 42,500 shares in the capital of Ajax. ."
Kroes himself also stated that he purchased the last part of his share package a week before his appointment. "At that time I had not yet agreed with Ajax, but I had a good feeling about it because of my own intentions. It seemed to me a positive signal to radiate confidence in the club and to shareholders. There is certainly no 'quick win' thought behind it, I first wanted to ensure that things would go very well for Ajax in all kinds of areas."
Kroes officially joined Ajax as general manager on March 15. Before that he worked at AZ.
(Source: NOS.nl)