Ajax Amsterdam sack coach John Heitinga

Ajax Amsterdam have sacked coach John Heitinga following a poor start to the season that included four successive heavy defeats in the Champions League, with Fred Grim handed the reins on a temporary basis, the club announced on Thursday. (X/@AFCAjax)
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Updated 06 November 2025
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Ajax Amsterdam sack coach John Heitinga

  • “It’s a painful decision,” Kroes told the club’s website
  • “We’ve seen too little progress and have unnecessarily dropped points”

AMSTERDAM: Ajax Amsterdam have sacked coach John Heitinga following a poor start to the season that included four successive heavy defeats in the Champions League, with Fred Grim handed the reins on a temporary basis, the club announced on Thursday.
Assistant coach Marcel Keizer will also depart, while technical director Alex Kroes said he would give up his role before the expiry of his contract at the end of the season if the club found a suitable replacement.
Ajax have won five of their 11 Eredivisie matches this campaign and lie fourth in the table but sit bottom of the standings in the Champions League in what has been a chaotic first few months of the season.

 


“It’s a painful decision,” Kroes told the club’s website. “But looking back at the past few months, we must conclude that things have turned out quite differently from what we had envisioned. We’ve seen too little progress and have unnecessarily dropped points.
“We know it can take time for a new coach to work with a squad that has undergone changes. We have given John that time, but we believe it’s best for the club to appoint someone else to lead the team. We hope to present a new head coach together as soon as possible.”
Heitinga, 41, is a former Ajax player who featured in 218 matches for the club and was later a youth coach with the team.
He had a caretaker role in charge in 2023 after the sacking of Alfred Schreuder, before moving to England to be assistant coach to David Moyes at West Ham United and Arne Slot at Liverpool, helping the latter to the Premier League title last season.
He returned to Ajax at the start of this campaign following the departure of Italian Francesco Farioli.
Ajax are next in action on Sunday when they travel to Utrecht.

 


Ton-up Farhan helps Pakistan seal Super Eight spot with Namibia rout

Updated 19 February 2026
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Ton-up Farhan helps Pakistan seal Super Eight spot with Namibia rout

  • It was Farhan’s maiden T20 ton and he became only the second Pakistani to score a T20 World Cup century after Ahmed Shehzad in 2014 against Bangladesh

COLOMBO: Sahibzada Farhan hit a magnificent unbeaten century to help Pakistan seal the final Super Eight berth at the T20 World Cup with a thumping 102-run win over Namibia in Colombo on Wednesday.

Farhan scored 100 not out off 58 balls with four sixes and 10 fours as Pakistan posted 199-3 before they routed Namibia for 97 in 17.3 overs.

Pakistan’s victory took them to six points from four games in Group A and eliminated the United States, who finished with four points.

India also have six points and play the Netherlands in the group’s final game later Wednesday.

The defending champions India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies will play each other in the Super eights Group 1, hosted in India.

Pakistan join New Zealand, England and co-hosts Sri Lanka in Group 2, hosted in Sri Lanka.

After a morale-shattering 61-run defeat against India, Pakistan needed a victory to avoid an early exit, which was achieved with ease as spinners Usman Tariq (4-16) and Shadab Khan (3-19) tore through the Namibia batting.

Louren Steenkamp scored 23 while Alexander Busing-Volschenk was the only other batsman to reach double figures with 20.

‘Complete performance’ 

Skipper Salman Agha praised a clinical show.

“It is a complete performance,” said a relieved Agha.

“We batted well and Farhan anchored the innings. He has been batting well for a while and I am happy that he got his hundred.

“With the ball we were lethal.”

Namibian skipper Gerhard Erasmus admitted Pakistan’s spin bowlers were too hot to handle.

“It (spin) is a special skill to have, to turn the ball both ways like they do,” said Erasmus.

“I think that’s one of the things we’ll definitely take home and look to improve on.”

Farhan earlier blasted a six and a four off pace bowler Jack Brassell to enter the 90s before taking a single off Gerhard Erasmus to complete his hundred in the final over.

It was Farhan’s maiden T20 ton and he became only the second Pakistani to score a T20 World Cup century after Ahmed Shehzad in 2014 against Bangladesh.

Shadab Khan, promoted to No. 5 with Babar Azam left out, hit three sixes and a four in his 36 not out off 22 balls as Pakistan smashed 42 from the last three overs.

Farhan put on 40 for the opening wicket with Saim Ayub (14) before consolidating the innings during a 67-run second wicket stand with captain Salman Agha (38).

Pakistan also left out pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi after a poor show in the first three matches, including conceding 31 in two overs in the defeat against India on Sunday.

Farhan’s ton means this is the first T20 World Cup in which three centuries have been scored.

He followed Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka, who scored a hundred against Australia on Monday, and Canada’s Yuvraj Sama who reached three figures against New Zealand on Tuesday.