Ten Hag raises eyebrows with bizarre defence of ex-colleague suspended for inappropriate behaviour towards women

Erik ten Hag has again, for some reason, voiced his support for former Ajax colleague Marc Overmars, which has raised the eyebrows of supporters. 

Currently, the Manchester United manager is gearing up for the side’s highly-anticipated FA Cup final with rivals Manchester City at 3pm this afternoon. The Blues are the holders of the trophy and are fresh off the back of being crowned Premier League champions for the fourth successive season, so are the major favourites to win the tie.

An in-depth interview with Ten Hag was released this morning by Voetbal International, an outlet based in his native Netherlands, in which he discussed all things United and Ajax, including former Arsenal and Barcelona player Overmars.

In case you weren’t aware, Overmars was director of football during Ten Hag’s reign at the Johan Cruyff Arena. It was a position he held for 10 years until he had to step down from the role in 2022 after it was revealed that he had sent a ‘series of inappropriate messages to several female colleagues’, as well as photographs.

When his disgraceful behaviour – which he admitted was ‘unacceptable’ – came to light, he was handed a two-year suspension from holding any position in Dutch football, with one year suspended. This was decided by an independent sports tribunal, but in January 2024, the KNVB asked FIFA to intervene and turn the domestic ban into a global one.

Ten Hag rallies behind Overmars

Strangely enough, Overmars has retained the backing of Ten Hag since the incident – even as recently as this month. The United manager told VI in his pre-final chat: “I stand firm that I find it a disgrace the way Marc Overmars has been treated. The departure of Marc Overmars killed Ajax at the time.

“And from [a] club perspective it was really stupid to throw him under the bus straight away. Overmars was the binding factor within the club. He didn’t write a single letter on paper, but every outgoing and incoming line was created by him.

“He was smart, he had strategic insight. When they got rid of him, everything collapsed.”

Ten Hag, who has just overseen the Red Devils’ lowest-ever Premier League finish on record, is expected to be sacked in the coming days regardless of today’s result.

After those comments, good riddance. A truly awful look.