Johan Cruyff and Fellow Ajax Board Members Resign en Masse Ahead of Manchester United Clash

Johann Cruyff and his fellow Ajax supervisory board members resigned en masse last week. The move leaves the legendary Dutch club with a gaping leadership void ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with Manchester United, according to the Guardian.

The Dutch legend claims the board went behind his back to install Louis Van Gaal as club CEO in November. Van Gaal had a falling out with Cruyff during their time together at Barcelona in the mid-1990s, and Cruyff wanted to appoint Tscheu La Ling as CEO instead.

Last Tuesday, a court in Amderstam banned the Dutch club from naming Van Gaal as its chief executive. Cruyff and others then resigned.

Other board members who resigned include former Juventus and Holland midfielder Edgar Davids, chairman, Steven ten Have and technical director, Danny Blind.

Ajax currently sits at sixth in the Dutch Eredivisie standings. It faces Manchester United in the second round of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday in Amsterdam.

Photo via Flickr/Patrick de Laive